


And I'll Endure the Exile

by ChibiFoxAI



Category: Bayonetta (Video Games), Demento | Haunting Ground, Devil May Cry, 裏切りは僕の名前を知っている | Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru | The Betrayal Knows My Name
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Betrayal, Canonical Character Death, Demon Hunting is Now Known, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Female Yuki, Fluff and Angst, Loss of Trust, Marriage of Convenience, Minor Character Death, Multi, Post-DMC5, Qliphoth changed the World, Qliphoth happened in 2019, Spying, Underage Drinking, Yuki Does Not Have a Dead Mom, Yuki was trained as an Umbra Witch, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:33:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29273292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibiFoxAI/pseuds/ChibiFoxAI
Summary: Before she died, Yuzuki begged her lover to take her away from her family the next time she was reborn. Waiting for decades and keeping her words in his heart, Luka helps Yuki's mother escape to America.After the incident with the Qliphoth Tree and demons no longer being a myth to the world, the Light of God is needed more than ever in the Giou Clan for both fighting and political strength.There's only one thing:  despite being the Light of God, Yuki can’t use the powers associated to her role.How will this impact her role in the current cycle? Better yet, how will this impact her bond with her past comrades?
Relationships: Furuori Senshirou/Hourai Kuroto, Kyrie/Nero (Devil May Cry), Luka "Zess" Crosszeria/Giou Yuki | Sakurai Yuki, Luze Crosszeria/Wakamiya Kanata, Past Dante/Mizuki, Renjou Hotsuma/Usui Shuusei
Kudos: 3





	1. Enter the Witch… In-Training

Chapter 1: Enter the Witch… In-Training

Silver was the only concrete thing Yuki could remember of her dream. For the past couple of weeks, she had a recurring dream: She was on a battlefield in a dress and the only other person there was a man cloaked up to the point that she could only see his silver eyes. Whenever Yuki tried to remember more than that, she would get a pain in her head like someone is hitting the inside of her skull with a hammer.

Yuki frowned as she looked at herself in the mirror, looking over the obvious changes to her image. While she would not care any other day, Yuki had been getting self-conscious about her appearance ever since her recurring dream had started. It took a while, but her hair had gone back to its original ash blonde from the pink and blue she had been dying her hair since freshman year. All over her body, mostly on her stomach, arms, and legs, were a collection of various scars and burns that dominated most of her pale skin. The only consolation was that she never got all of those scars at the same time.

Yuki then turned so that she could look over the outfit she had spread on the bed, making sure that it was acceptable by her Aunt Trish’s standards. Black long-sleeved turtleneck, blue jeans, and a pair of sneakers. Her family wouldn’t say much about the large moon pendant on her necklace given her missing father’s line of work, but her hair would have to be in a ponytail no matter what just in case she had a lab in chemistry that day.

“Hurry up Yuki. You start going back to school today!” Lady’s voice rang from downstairs, snapping Yuki out of her thoughts.

“Oh yeah, I get to go back to school. So much for a vacation,” Yuki muttered as she poked a few scars on her stomach. “At least you look better now than the day I got you.”

After getting dressed, Yuki all but sped down the staircase so she could get breakfast. There was always food since she came from a large family but getting the food when it was fresh was better than getting cold leftovers.

Climbing down the stairs, Yuki let her gaze linger on a certain chair and desk near the back of the main room. It had almost been a year since her father, Dante Sparda, had willingly jumped into Hell along with his brother in order to seal it away from Earth. Even a year later, the pain of losing her father was still felt fresh and brought tears to her eyes. Her dad was her best friend and now he was gone, quite possibly forever.

As Yuki descended the stairs, she spared a glance at the various newspaper clippings her mother had framed and hung on the back wall behind Dante’s desk.

**_Devil May Cry Does It Again!_ **

**_Demons Among Us_ **

**_Thousands Dead in Red Grave City_ **

**_Son of Sparda: Hero or Zero?_ **

**_Grandson of Dark Knight Saves World!_ **

**_Witches Live! Exclusive Interview!  
_ **

Ever since the Qliphoth Tree incident the previous year, people started becoming more aware of demons and the supernatural as a whole. There were a few protests, of course, with people trying to say that their religion was the true religion that would keep the world safe, but the older members of Devil May Cry plus other hunters were able to put a rest to most of the complaints and worries through various interviews. As a result, business started booming for the family as well.

“Good morning Dad,” Yuki said quietly as she passed by the desk and made her way over to the kitchen.

Already at the table were Yuki’s adoptive siblings, Fiona and Kanata, her cousin Nero plus his wife Kyrie and their adopted children, and a group of women that Dante worked with and later shared the same house.

Nero was the son of Vergil, Dante’s twin, and an unknown woman. Nero’s maternal family had been a part of a religion known as the Order of the Sword that had worshipped the Dark Knight Sparda as if he were God. Nero’s mother had a night of passion with Vergil when he came through town looking for information concerning the Temen-Ni-Gru. Two years after Nero was born, Vergil literally raised Hell on Earth and willingly fell into the Underworld. It was not until years later did Dante meet Nero in Fortuna, where the boy had been raised by the Order of the Sword as their personal mercenary. After their encounter, Nero was given the Fortuna office of the Devil May Cry franchise, but the younger half devil ended up moving in with Yuki and her family when the economy in the city hit rock bottom.

Kyrie was the daughter of two Order followers, but after the Savior Incident she had moved in with Nero and was raising three children with him in the house.

Fiona was the oldest of Yuki’s siblings; pale skinned, blonde, quiet. Years ago, the young woman had been taken by an unknown man into the now gone Belli Castle and was forced to survive with only her beloved dog Hewie as support. By the end of the night, it was discovered that Fiona’s parents were dead along with the residents of the castle. When Trish went to investigate the castle, she automatically adopted Fiona practically on spot after finding her walking down an old road from her family’s ancestral home. 

Fiona was still mostly mute since her experience left some heavy scars on her mind, but she now had a family far away from Belli Castle and Hewie was an excellent service animal. Fiona was a budding alchemist and was looking over the many job offers that were piling in weekly in order to make the best use of her skills against the newest threat to humanity.

Kanata was Yuki’s older brother, also adopted. He had come in a few months after the Abigail Incident. All he had with him was a duffle bag of clothes and a silver book when he first came to live with the Dark Knight’s clan. Before Dante officially adopted him, his name had been Kanata Wakimiya. He doted on his siblings and was attached to Yuki’s biological mother, Mizuki.

At the moment, everyone was focused on the television set Trish had dragged into the room for everyone to watch. On the television set, the President of the United States was giving a conference about the establishment of a new department: The Department of Supernatural Defense. Everyone at the table could not help but cheer when the first Director for the new department, Patrick Walker aka Crewcut, was welcomed. Some smiled as the sole soldier that had survived the vanguard waved to the camera, a medal of honor pinned to his chest.

“Does this mean we have to register with the government now? If so, I’m retiring right here and now,” Trish grumbled as she shoveled some eggs into her mouth.

“Most likely not. Families have been hunting demons worldwide for generations before the Red Grave Incident plus the government has always known about devil hunters on some level. Registering people who may or may not have the ability to kill demons without their consent is pretty much illegal plus what they would want to do with a Registration Act violates so many amendments. This is just for the public’s safety from what Crewcut is saying and a way to network with the others in the country. The UN is trying to find a way to network as well. Since Crewcut was ordered to follow Nero and Nico, he knows more about demons than anyone else outside of hunters.”

Mizuki gave a tight smile as her daughter debated with Lady over the future of their careers. “Yuki, could you take the trash to the curb, check the mail, and get the newspaper? I’ll save you a plate.”

“Yes ma’am!” Yuki could never deny a request from her mother. The woman had a hard time too since she was known by the town as the wife of the city’s black sheep, but Mizuki loved Dante regardless.

As Yuki tied up the trash bag, she could hear Patrick’s tinny voice in the background.

_“The public needs to know that nothing is black and white. There are demons who seek the salvation of humanity just like there are humans who seek its fall. Now more than ever, we need to set aside our differences and stand together!”_

* * *

Yuki couldn’t help but frown as she stared at the letter. Glued onto the paper were cut-outs of different letters, spelling out ‘Die, Yuki Shikibe, You FREAK!’ in a rather neat fashion.

The teenager had to give it to whoever made the note; she was quite impressed over how neatly the letters were cut out and glued to the paper.

This wasn’t the first time she had gotten a letter like this. The first one was put in her locker at school just a few days before Winter Break started the previous year. Crumpling up the letter, she quickly put it in the garbage can next to the mailbox. While her family didn’t show it all that often when they were together, the ‘freak’ remark hurt deeply. Ever since Yuki could remember, she could hear and see things others could not, not including Dante and his crew. Something that made Yuki stand out in her family was that she could see memories and feel emotions if she touched people. Sometimes, Yuki could even see the future in her dreams, but that was once in a blue moon.

Dante was a bit freaked out when he found out about what his daughter could do, but he kept it a secret from those outside of their family. The last thing he wanted was for his youngest daughter to be mixed up in a situation where someone would try to abuse that power, so he did what he could to help and called in some favors from others he had met during his odder jobs.

Too bad that could not protect Yuki from their enemies.

“So, I heard that you’re starting school again today.” Kanata smiled at his sister, which was not out of place since he was the only morning person in the house.

“Thanks for the reminder,” Yuki grumbled around a mouth full of eggs.

“Mouth closed, darling.” Mizuki reminded her from across the table.

Kanata relaxed his smile so it looked more genuine than the first one. “Be careful. Don’t forget, you promised to come visit me at work after school today!”

Yuki smiled. “I’m always careful!”

“Yuki Shikibe,” Mizuki fixed her biological daughter with a look. “The police literally have a code for our family because of your father. The way you attract trouble, don’t you think they will start using it for you too?”

“If we have to go by last Christmas, I think that Nero will be the first one of us that will get that honor,” Yuki snickered as she swiped the last Toaster Strudel from Nero’s plate.

“Hey, that was mine!” The quarter-demon remarked as he glared at his cousin.

Yuki responded by licking the frosting from the breakfast pastry and holding it out to her usual hunting partner, “Want it back now?”

Nero’s glare only deepened as Yuki bit into the strawberry filled treat. Suddenly, Nero pounced onto his cousin, trapping her in a headlock and rubbing his knuckles on her head, causing her scalp to burn from the noogie.

Yuki choked on her breakfast for a few seconds before pounding her chest and getting the food to go down, “What the hell was that for?!”

“Be happy I have two human arms now!”

The family’s laughter filled the air.

* * *

Near the bus stop, a pair of teens sat on one of the benches, as if waiting for someone. One was a boy with white hair, taking his time eating chocolate snacks. The other was a girl with long strawberry blonde hair.

“Isn’t she supposed to be passing by any moment now, Tsukumo?” the girl asked the boy, presumably Tsukumo.

Tsukumo nodded, “She will be here soon, Touko-chan. She’s just been… delayed from what the birds have told me.”

“Speaking of Yuki-chan…” Touko gave a small smile as she pulled out a photograph. The picture was of a girl wearing a blue hoodie with an orange body covering a gray v-neck shirt, with the hood pulled over the girl’s head in the picture so that only the tips of pink and blue dyed hair were peeking out and the hoodie zipped up to just slightly below her breasts. She was also wearing denim shorts that stopped halfway down her thigh, knee-high socks, and brown boots. Hanging from her mouth, which was pulled into a frown, was a purple lollipop stick.

Tsukumo leaned over so he could get a better look at the picture. “Well, she’s definitely different from the last time. I remember our Yuki being slightly more… modest.”

Touko suppressed her urge to laugh as a blush spread across her brother’s cheeks, “Don’t be such a prude Tsukumo. I mean, you’ve seen girls in bathing suits that cover up less before!”

* * *

Yuki sighed from her spot in the library as she looked over the few remaining books about the supernatural and occult that were left on the shelves.

After the Red Grave City incident, many parents who survived in town were calling for any books on anything demonic be pulled from the shelves until further notice. Then they started trying to push their own agendas and get all books that did not abide by the PTA Parents standard to be pulled. The mayor of the city had to put his foot down before everything got out of hand, saying that denying the younger generations knowledge of how to defend themselves from the creatures that almost destroyed the world would only put the human race in danger since it was clear that many of the notoriously religious folk were killed so it would do no good taking the books away.

_Dear Mystery Dream Man, it’s only been my first day back at school and already I accidentally got in a fight with some guys harassing an old man, accidentally felt the emotions from one of them for a few seconds thanks to her stupid empathic tendencies and was saved from being beaten up by a boy and a girl who threw a piece of candy at one of the guys and bluffed about calling the police respectively._

_The good news? The guy I saved was apparently the new principal at school. The bad news? I now have a reputation for picking fights with random strangers on top of being the school’s top weirdo._

_Whoever said that high school was the best years of your life needs to be hit over the head with a 2x4 because it is the worst._

It was pretty easy to get a pass from the teacher since she thought that she needed some extra books for some work that she needed to catch up on from her time off of school. Unbeknownst to the school, Kyrie had a soft spot for Yuki during her time off duty and took it upon herself to help Yuki with her homework so needing the extra library time was all a lie.

The hair on the back of Yuki’s neck started to stand on end, which meant that someone was looking at her with poorly concealed malcontent. She turned around to see that the person who had caused her to stop her work for the moment was actually her childhood friend, Kota Uzuki.

Kota, or Uzuki as everyone called him, was a pretty quiet guy. He was tall, wore glasses, had short black hair, and loved plants. Uzuki and his Dad had moved to the city from Japan back when he was still in elementary school. The official story was that his father had been transferred here to be the new head of a branch for some company. Why a company would choose Capulet City, Yuki would never know, but the real story was that his dad practically begged for the transfer so that it would be easier for Kota to get over the fact that his mother had tried to kill him. 

Uzuki and Yuki had a group of friends the previous school year who had gone missing near the end of summer, when the country-wide curfew had been lifted after the White House gave the okay to travel at dusk again. Photographs of the missing five teenagers hung in the school’s main office. Given Yuki’s reputation thanks to Dante, people believed that Yuki had done something to them since she was the last person who saw them despite the police clearing her. Unfortunately, Uzuki was one of the people who still believed the rumors, especially after the documentary on Sparda came out a little before the break.

Uzuki looked at her before snarling and going back to his book search. Yuki saw a book about plants and a black book with nothing on the spine by his feet. It didn’t seem out of place since the school library didn’t have sleeves on half of the hardback books, but something about it sent chills up her spine.

Shrugging, Yuki went back to reading her mythology book, fighting down a smile when she turned to the chapter relating to the Dark Knight Sparda. The urge to outright laugh was also smothered at the book’s mention of his wife Eva, the great and powerful Umbra Witch.

* * *

_If I had taken a cab instead of just walking to his office, I probably would have died in a pretty gruesome way._

Yuki knew that her life was going to get weird again when school let out and she went to go visit Kanata. All she did was walk from school to Kanata’s office. That’s all. She didn’t start any fights. She didn’t rile up some supernatural being in an alleyway. She just kept her head down and walked to meet her brother.

Then halfway to Kanata’s office, something grabbed her and kept the girl in place on the sidewalk. Looking down, Yuki saw two pairs of sickly black hands holding onto her legs. The teen could feel terror start to override almost every idea about how to get out of the situation. Whatever was holding her in place was nothing she had ever seen before.

Yuki tried to reach into her messenger bag for something to repel the shadow, but it was like the paralysis had traveled up her legs and left the rest of her body numb. Her hands couldn’t move fast enough.

“Look out!”

Yuki stopped looking through her bag to see the car no more than ten feet away coming at her. The girl felt her throat swell when she saw that there was no driver.

She was then tackled out of the way by a blur of black, the car became one with a light post with a tooth grinding metallic screech.

* * *

For the next few minutes, Yuki didn’t even register her savior ushering her away from the scene. All she could hear were people talking about how there was no driver in the car and that one of the doors had just vanished as if by magic.

The black blur that saved Yuki turned out to be a man with skin pale enough to set off alarms in her head. He was wearing all black, from head to toe, even his accessories. In all, he reminded Yuki very much of the late Modeus.

The only part of this guy that had any color was his right hand, which was red with his own blood from a cut he got getting Yuki away from becoming street pizza. Seeing the cut helped snap the girl out of her shock.

“Maybe you should go to a hospital.” Yuki tied up the stranger's hand with a handkerchief in an attempt to at least stop the bleeding, voice cracking from the residual shock from earlier.

The man shook his head, smiling, “I’m fine. I heal a bit quicker than others.”

True enough, the wound was already starting to heal, which caused Yuki to look up in surprise. Yuki then leaned back on the park bench she had been ushered to, her entire body relaxing a bit more, “My Dad used to heal pretty fast too; it was amazing really.”

“You looked like you were worried about something. Is that why you were stuck in place?”

“...I saw a former friend of mine today. It seems that we still have a lot of bad blood between us,” Yuki rubbed her forehead a bit. The last thing she needs right now is to start seeing more things than usual. “It’s not that I was stuck. Something grabbed my legs and wouldn’t let go. Probably something otherworldly given everything that happens around here. Five bucks says something from Dad’s past; things from his past always come to bite me in the ass sooner or later.”

The man did not look shocked. “Otherworldly? Your... father?”

Yuki nodded. “Ever since I could remember, I could hear and see things others could not. People’s thoughts, their memories, even their emotions. It scared me a lot as a kid, so I tried to learn how to control it. All I ended up doing was learning another way to get into people’s heads and lost a friend. I can’t control it either. It just happens out of nowhere sometimes and it makes it hard when I touch people or look them directly in the eyes since that’s how it ‘activates’ I guess. I used to upset a lot of people with it and burdened my friends, like Uzuki. I saw into his memories by accident once and I saw pieces of his life that he never wanted anyone to. I blurted out how I felt about it and I hurt him.” Yuki felt her fists clench. “I hurt a close friend because I couldn’t keep my damn mouth shut for once. That was the last straw for him after what happened last summer.”

“…Don’t blame yourself.” Yuki looked at the stranger. “Nobody can control everything in their lives. Your… friend isn’t ready to face what has happened in his life and is quick to put the blame on others and runs away. Even though failing to fight one’s fate means life is no more than a living death.” He noticed how Yuki shivered at the last few words.

The stranger sighed. “Because of his weakness, you’re getting hurt too. Don’t worry too much about it, or you’ll just worry yourself sick.”

The dark stranger held out his hand and helped Yuki up. “You should head home. It’s getting dark, and who knows what might be lurking in the shadows.”

 _Seriously, who was this guy to give me orders_? Yuki really couldn’t help but snort. “I know what lurks in the darkness. The men and the monsters, wearing faces of friends and allies at times, never knowing when they might strike.” I adjusted her shoulder bag. “Sorry about that, it’s another one of my habits. Dad always said I saw too much too young.”

The man blinked in surprise. “This Father of yours sounds very… odd.”

Yuki gave the man in front of her a deadpan look as the Peter Pan incident from her childhood came to the forefront of her mind, “You don’t know the half of it.”

“Really?”

“If you ever hear the police talking about something called a Code D, they’re talking about my Dad or something related to him. He’s kinda famous around here.”

The stranger blinked, causing Yuki to shrug. “I’ve been around the block a few times. Besides, this is Capulet, Red Grave's sister city; strange things tend to happen a lot.”

“I see… well, I must be off to continue my investigation. I suggest that you be careful getting home.”

Yuki smiled as the man turned and walked away, “You’re not from here, are you?”

“No, I’m not.” The stranger did not stop walking.

“No, I mean that you’re not human, are you?” Yuki couldn’t hide her smile as the man turned back to her, surprise clear on his face.

“How did you-”

“I can tell a human from a non-human… and from a not ordinary human. This place is a bit of a hotspot for the supernatural.” Yuki held up the moon shaped pendant that her Aunt Cereza had given her for her 13th birthday, “It takes one to know one.”

Yuki turned around and started walking off, leaving a stunned non-human in her wake.

Yuki was about to open the doors to Kanata’s office building when something else, something particularly important, clicked in her head.

The man had silver eyes, like the ones from a rather vivid recurring dream she had been having the past couple of weeks.

“Oh crap,” Yuki muttered to herself in realization.


	2. Family Matters

Mission 2: Family Matters

“Earth to Yuki!”

Yuki looked over to her brother. Apparently, she had spaced out again.

“Did something good happen?” Kanata asked. From the tone in his voice, Yuki could tell that he was amused from catching his sister off-guard.

Yuki was actually surprised that he asked this since she remembered telling him that she was almost killed by a car on the way to his office. “Why do you want to know all of a sudden?”

“You just look like something good has happened! Did you finally meet someone you liked romantically?”

Yuki suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at him. “Yeah bro, I almost got killed by something straight out of a Stephen King classic and now I’m happy as a clam. You know that I’m pretty sure that I’m ace at this point if my journey of self-discovery and access to the internet has taught me anything. I am but a piece of lichen waiting to find a tree to climb.”

“Oh Yuki, you beautiful spinster, I will find you your tree.”

Yuki shifted her focus to the silver book that Kanata carried around with him all the time. Standing up, she walked over and picked it up, looking it over. Kanata brought it with him from Japan when Trish brought him to the Devil May Cry, but nobody could read it, not even their allies Cereza and Jeanne. “Anyway Kanata, have you figured out what this book is? You've rarely left the house without this thing lately.”

“It’s called the Key of Raziel.” He answered. “I wasn’t able to read it as a kid, but for some reason I started being able to read the words a few days ago. I’ve been learning a lot from it. Not magic though, but I’ve been learning how the world works.”

Yuki lowered the book slightly. “Kanata,” she began slowly, “what have you been learning if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Humans are stubborn and foolish creatures.” Kanata turned to the wind, a pained smile on his face. “The world is slowly heading towards its demise. Destruction of the environment, the subsequent abnormal weather, war, terrorism, nuclear weapons… the world has been defiled beyond recovery by all that.”

Yuki could hear her heart pounding away as Kanata continued to speak. “Kanata, you’re starting to scare me, and that’s not an easy thing to do because of the family business.”

“The only way to save the world… is to reset it, don’t you think?”

“How the hell can you be so nonchalant about all of this?” Yuki demanded as she dropped the book.

“Well, we were raised by the same man,” Kanata held up a family photo he kept at his desk to emphasize the point.

Yuki suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. “I can’t believe that you’ve been keeping this all a secret from the family.”

“Well, Raziel is the angel who is in charge of guarding the secrets of the universe after all.” Kanata replied.

Yuki turned to her brother, her response coming out a little harsher than she intended. “Aunt Cereza will be happy to know that you’ve been reading the books that she and Aunt Jeanne have been sending but you’re forgetting that Raziel is also the guardian angel of thrones. He is the one who gives the right to rule, and the absolute power to do so.”

“Oh yes, the right of kings, because history has shown us that absolute rule in the hands of vanilla mortals is always the best thing,” Kanata bit back.

Every alarm in Yuki’s head was going off, every brain cell screaming for her to run or strike her brother down now before he became the next Vergil, but Yuki just stood there, “…Kanata, please… if any part of you still follows what Dad taught us then you will give this book to Cereza, Jeanne, or even Rodin.”

Yuki picked up her bag and started heading for the office door. “I won’t tell anyone about this conversation. I trust you to make the right decision.”

* * *

“Mrs. Shikibe, please come with me. Your… cousin is here to pick you.”

Yuki looked up to see the assistant principal looking down at her. “Can I finish my lunch?”

Another glare from the balding man prompted Yuki to literally stuff her mouth with the rest of her sandwich, chew a few times, and dry swallow it. “Okay, okay, I’m ready.”

Nero was waiting outside with his car, his expression grim. Yuki had only seen her father like that when someone brought up Vergil or when he would catch Yuki poking at her old scars when she claimed that the weather was causing them to throb. The pair of cousins got into the car, Nero driving off before Yuki got a chance to properly close her door.

“Nero, what the hell?” Yuki hissed as she quickly strapped on her seatbelt.

“Mizuki’s family has found her. They’re at our house.” Nero’s voice was tight, like he was ready to face off against an enemy rather than talk with his relatives.

* * *

Mizuki kept her face blank as she stared at the two people sitting on the couch across from her.

On the other side of the couch, there was a man with long hair that was tied in a ponytail and a scar that ran along his left cheekbone. He was wearing a rather fancy suit. To his left was a woman in an equally nice suit, her wavy hair done up in a simple yet professional looking bun.

“Why are you just now darkening my doorway, Takashiro?” Mizuki’s voice was cold, which caused the woman next to Takashiro to flinch.

“Now Mizuki, is that any way to talk to your family? I even brought your sister Ibuki with me.” Takashiro gave a small smile, but that did nothing to break Mizuki’s poker face.

“Nee-san,” Ibuki interrupted, “we all were horrified when we heard that you had disappeared. We’ve been worried about you all this time, all things considered…”

“Ibuki, I know you’re not dumb,” Mizuki’s eyes narrowed. “I know that the Giou has an information network that spreads across the globe. You could have found me if the family actually pressed the matter.”

“Truth be told, we were looking for orphaned children,” Takashiro sighed. “However, I am curious as to how you survived Yuzuki’s birth, along with the fact that you haven’t aged a single day since last I saw you.”

“Her name is Yuki this time around, and I know that I shouldn’t be alive given what the ceremony entails.” With a shaky hand, Mizuki lowered the collar of her shirt, revealing a bright yellow orb in the middle of her chest. “I’m only alive thanks to my… late husband’s quick thinking.”

“Oh yes, the half demon,” Takashiro bit out coolly. “Our clan does seem to have a history with those.”

The noise at the door caused Mizuki to let go of her shirt and fix her appearance so that nobody else could see the yellow orb.

“We’re home…” Yuki called out, eyes landing on her mother and her guests.

Takashiro was the first to stand up. “Hello Yuki. My name is Takashiro Giou.”

_Giou… Giou… why does that name sound so familiar?_ Yuki thought to herself. She could hear bits and pieces of what Takashiro was saying to her, but her own head was filled with millions of thoughts flying around at light speed.

“Yuki, for both our sakes I’d like you to come back to Tokyo to live with me.”

“Wait, TOKYO?”

Kyrie walked over from out of the kitchen and gripped Yuki’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for her rudeness, but this is all too sudden for Yuki. She’ll need some time to think about it if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, but please let me know as soon as you can.”

* * *

Yuki waited for the sounds of Takashiro’s car to fade away before she spoke up, “Yeah, the answer is an automatic no. Never. I am staying in Capulet. I’m needed here, not Tokyo. If I can stay here, then I can protect everyone and-”

_You’re only running away._

When Yuki opened her eyes, only to see that I was in the remnants of various battlefields. Battlefields with headstones, swords, and crosses strewn everywhere, the ruins of a tower she recognized as the Temen-Ni-Gru, a half sunken island that she somehow knew was Mallet Island. Corpses of demons and a few humans were strewn about. All she could smell was blood. “What’s going on?”

_Running away from yourself and what you are predestined to do._

I looked around for the voice. “I don’t believe in destiny! It’s called free will!”

_You’re just running away. You’re only running away!_

“I’m not running away.” I whispered.

Lady’s voice rang out. “Don’t Yuki! You’re just disassociating!”

“I’m not some coward, damn you!” Yuki cried out to the air.

All of the windows at the Devil May Cry shattered.

* * *

Morrison didn’t blame Yuki for what had happened with the windows. He had been meaning to replace them for some time since they were as old as the tavern turned house, but Yuki knew that he was just saying that to make her feel better.

Lady had ushered Yuki away from the windows downstairs and back to her room for the time being. Her dissociative episodes had gotten worse since the previous year’s incident concerning the Qliphoth, but this was the first time Yuki had actually destroyed something.

“Are you okay, Yuki?” asked Kanata.

Yuki looked up to see Kanata at her doorway. “I heard that a man calling himself Mom’s family came looking for you. Is that true?”

I looked down, not wanting to meet Kanata’s eyes. “Yeah, it’s true…”

Walking towards his sister on the bed, he pressed for more information. “Yuki, did anything else happen?”

“He wants to take me to Tokyo.”

They were silent for a few seconds before Yuki hugged her brother, crying. “What am I going to do? What am I going to do?”

* * *

It was raining the next day. While it would be considered heavy in most parts, it was pretty light by Capulet standards.

“Oh bad day, bad day, bad day, bad day, bad day…” Yuki chanted under her breath as he approached Uzuki. He had a red mark on his neck that looked more like a brand the longer she looked at it.

“Hey Uzuki, can I talk to you about that mark-” Her hand was slapped away before she could even touch the other boy.

“Don’t touch me!” Uzuki shouted. Yuki flinched at the volume of her friend’s voice, flinching again as he started poking her in the chest. “You make me sick. Your know-it-all goodie-two-shoes attitude makes me sick to my stomach. You think that you’re so special because your Dad is the local nutcase but newsflash; it just makes you a freak too! Nobody needs you!”

Yuki was frozen as Uzuki walked back to class, laughing all the way. The words, god those words kept ringing in her head.

Everything was silent for a few seconds, but that silence was broken by the shattering of the overhead lights.

“Why does this keep happening? I don’t want to hurt people, I want to help them.” Yuki whispered to herself.

The lights exploding were blamed on faulty wiring and until the cause could be “fixed”, the school was shut down. It would only be for a week at most and all the classwork would be posted online but knowing half of her classmates the point was moot.

The minute the student body was given the okay to go home by the faculty, Yuki ran out of the building like a bat out of hell.

A certain man flashed before her eyes.

_Him… I want to see him again… more than anyone I want to see him!_

When Yuki finally did stop running, she was hit with the smell of the harbor. She nearly gagged as the scent of dead fish, algae, and motor oil hit her with the subtlety of a punch to the face. The girl had run all the way from school to Capulet Harbor. This explained why her legs were burning; Yuki had somehow ended up a few miles away from her school.

At that moment, there was nobody at the harbor. It was raining and nobody in their right mind would go out with the chance of the storm getting worse.

Taking a few breaths, Yuki screamed in rage. She shouted, howled, yelled, and bawled. She wanted to scream until her throat bled.

“Don’t you see?” She shouted. Months of frustration suddenly reared its ugly head. “I have no idea what’s happening to me anymore! First Baul, then Sid, then Vergil, and now this! I’m not a daughter of Sparda by birth and I can barely pass as an Umbra Witch! I’m just trying to get through life! What more do you want from me?”

Yuki sat down, leaning against one of the dock posts. Too much was happening too fast and all she could do was cry about how unfair it was. Uzuki was right, she really was pathetic.

“Somebody… anybody… help me…”

Yuki looked up when the rain stopped hitting her. The man from before was there, using his jacket to shield her from the weather. 

“You’re going to get sick.”

Smiling, Yuki managed to croak out a quiet response, “You too.”

The man sat next to Yuki and moved a bit closer, still shielding her with his jacket.

“Did something happen?” he asked.

“…I messed up again. My best friend completely hates me now, some mystery man claiming to be part of my mother’s family wants to take me to Tokyo of all places, and now my powers are starting to lash out...” Yuki curled up to the man a bit more. “When I was younger, they would fluctuate from low to high while I was training. It got stronger recently for no reason, and I can’t stop it. It’s like it has a mind of its own and doesn’t _want_ to stop. Even though I don’t want to see things broken or hurt anybody, I still end up hurting people I care about. Maybe I‘m not as good as I think…”

The man interrupted her, “If you are referring to your friend, it’s not your fault. Your friend, he hates the reality he faces. That’s why he attacks others and runs. He feels that if he doesn’t fight, he’ll remain in a state of living death.”

“You sound like a fortune cookie, you know that?” She had calmed down a bit more by now, which was good. “Even so… he’s still my friend.”

“Yuki.”

“Yes?”

“…Humans are complicated.”

Yuki laughed. As the minutes passed, the rain started to let up a bit.

“Um, if it’s not too much to ask…”

“Hmm?” The man looked down at me.

“Mind telling me your name?”

“…It’s Zess.”

“You know, I have a feeling that’s kind of a lie.”

Luka gave a small smile, “You’re right about that much.”

* * *

Zess offered to walk Yuki back to Devil May Cry, which she was grateful for. She could have walked back on her own, but she kept feeling like something was off.

_Okay Yuki, the first person to ever make you feel romantic feelings might be interested in you despite all your weirdness and your breakdown from before. Don’t screw this up._

“Uh… thanks. For earlier. Can I see you again sometime?” 

_WHAT DID I JUST SAY?_

Zess stopped before picking Yuki and jumping back. Almost immediately, something crashed where we had been standing, probably creating a crater in the road. Once the smoke had cleared, a small pack of wolves were growling at them, their red eyes promising bloodshed.

“The hell are _those_ things?”

“They’re called Duras.”

“Duras?” Yuki asked, having never heard that term before.

“They’re a type of demon. They’re from the Ninth Circle of Infernus,” He clarified.

“Wait, those are _demons_?” Yuki started to rummage in her sling bag when she realized that she did not pack any gear because of school. “Crap, I left my stuff at home.”

The Duras charged. One of them lunged out at Yuki, but she was moved out of the way by Zess. After dodging a few of the attacks and dragging her this way and that, Zess finally picked Yuki up and started jumping out of the way. Suddenly, he jumped up into the air.

As soon as they got to the peak of the jump, Yuki heard the sounds of a gun going off and a blade slicing through flesh. Within seconds, the so-called Duras that had surrounded us fell in showers of crystal shards that evaporated before they hit the ground. Yuki looked on in awe to see that the ones who had saved her were the teens from the bus stop a few days ago.

“Are you okay, Yuki?” The girl asked. She had long hair and was wearing a black suit with a white shirt, but what really stood out was that she was holding a large buster sword that seemed almost impossible for an average human to hold.

“Sorry for the delay.” The boy commented. He was wearing the same outfit as the girl, but he had white hair and was holding what looked like a handgun.

Yuki watched as the weapons faded away in a show of glittering light, causing the rings on the other teen’s fingers to glow as she was gently put back on her feet. “You two are…”

“They’re members of the Giou clan, just like you.”

That was when Takashiro appeared from around a corner, still smiling. Yuki narrowed her eyes at the man. “What are you talking about Takashiro?”

He ignored the girl as he praised the fighters. “Good job, Touko, Tsukumo. Zess, you also did well.”

Yuki turned to the pale man who had saved her twice. “So Zess is also part of the family?”

“While he is not of the Giou, he is an ally. It’s a bit… complicated.”

“There’s something else going on with me, isn’t there? It’s the reason why I’m going out of control more than usual. I know you know what's going on.” Yuki crossed her arms in annoyance. In the last 24 hours, her life had been turned more upside down than usual and she didn’t like being kept in the dark about it.

Takashiro looked mildly impressed. “I’m surprised that you’re not completely confused. Just as you saw, we of the Giou each possess our own unique ability. Also, those powers are proof that someone belongs in our family.”

Yuki was about to speak up but was cut off by Touko. “He means by blood, Yuki. We’re not some cult recruiting teens from random families like you’ve been seeing in the news lately.”

Yuki shut her mouth with an audible click. There went theory #1, but the cult theory was still up in the air for her since those seemed to be on the rise ever since the Qliphoth had been defeated.

“To cut it short Yuki, even more power will awaken within you. So much that you will become afraid of it and even lose control. If you come with us, we can tell you about your powers, how to control them, and how to deal with what comes with them. With your magic reacting as is, it’s probably the only path that you can take.” The boy, Tsukumo tried to reason with Yuki, but something deep inside of her soul was not buying any of the lip service.

“You want to help? Get the hell out of my city.”


	3. Decisions

Mission 3: Decisions

Takashiro blinked, as if he had expected Yuki to grovel at his feet with gratitude. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. If you really want to help me, then you’ll stay out of my city. We've got enough to deal with regarding ordinary demons and don't need a new breed running around causing even more chaos.”

Takashiro took a few steps forward so he and Yuki could stand eye-to-eye, “If you stay here, just who will you turn to when things get out of control? My sources tell me that you haven’t been in the best shape these last few months because you bit off more than you could chew last year. Are you really sure that you can inherit your father’s legacy and continue his mission at this rate?”

At that moment, Yuki felt like someone had punched her straight in the gut but schooled her face so that it did not look like she was fazed by Takashiro's words. “I’m sure I can manage. I’ve had a lot of people supporting me for a long time now, so I’ll be alright. It takes a lot to knock me off my block!” She smiled, but it must have looked fake. “But I was wondering… Tsukumo and Ms. Touko-”

“Why are you only treating me like a stranger?!” Yuki flinched as Touko appeared to teleport right in front of her. “You call him ‘Tsukumo’ but you call me ‘Ms. Touko’ like I’m an old lady! That’s so mean, Yuki-chan!”

“Um, Touko then…”

“Yes, Yuki-chan?” Yuki inwardly sighed at how quickly Touko’s mood changed. “So you two, well… I guess you’re my relatives, right?”

Touko turned to her younger brother, who nodded. “Our surname is Murasame, but since we have the same ancestry we are related, I guess.”

“That’s good.” Touko turned back to the girl. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t think that there was anybody related to me outside Mom. Knowing that I have some distant family actually makes me really happy.”

“Yuki! From now on, we’ll always be with you! Wait, does this mean that we are going to stay in Capulet City now?”

Touko was about to tackle-hug her, but Yuki panicked and side-stepped out of the way. “Yuki?”

“I’m sorry; it seems that I’m still on edge.” Yuki explained, hands up in front of her.

Touko gave a sad smile. “It’s understandable.”

“Well, now that we have that out of the way…” Yuki turned to the large hole in the road that was made during the beginning of the fight. “…How are we going to deal with this?”

“Don’t worry about it. Takashiro will just abuse his authority as always and make it go away,” Zess replied, stressing the last two words.

“Oh now, it hurts when you say it like that.”

Zess ignored the other man and gave Yuki a few pats on the head. “You should get home. I’m sure that your family is worried about you.”

“Right, thank you.”

Yuki walked away from the group and rounded a corner, sidling up to the wall so she could eavesdrop. If action movies and video games had taught the witch in training, it was that one needs to gather more information on people.

Zess spoke up first, “She’s not what you expected, is she Takashiro? That means your calculations were off. She will never become what you envision her being.”

Yuki could practically hear Takashiro smirk. Family or not, he was a total snake! “Nope. It’s just as I expected.”

“Excuse me? Nothing I have ever done was expected; just look at my mission record,” Yuki muttered to herself.

A rustle of a long coat and a low growl was heard next, the source being Zess most likely. Takashiro continued. “Anyone who bolts to us after hearing such sugar-coated words is useless to the cause.”

“At least he got that right.” Yuki got ready to sprint if needed, but the opportunity to get more information was too tempting.

“What we need is someone who can sacrifice themselves for others, no matter who they may be, and also is strong enough to withstand the pain that comes with those actions. In the end, Yuki _will definitely_ come to us.”

“So, there’s no other way? You can’t just leave her be and let her live a normal life?” Zess questioned. Yuki was starting to like this guy more and more by the minute.

Takashiro snorted. “Normal life? Even if her life was normal, it would be an unreasonable request.” His tone was flippant and reminded Yuki of Dante whenever he and Lady got into a row. “Without Yuki, the Zweilt cannot fight to their fullest. Even you know that.”

A small ‘tch’ was heard and Yuki heard footsteps coming her way. “Like I said before, Yuki will never become what you envision her to be.”

“Oh, and Zess, I need you to break contact with Yuki for a while.” The scarred man called out to Zess.

Zess didn’t even falter in his stride. “She’s being targeted. She needs protection.”

“That’s exactly why I need you to stay away for a while. We need to see if she went through her awakening and if she hasn’t, we have to incite her it, no matter what it takes.” 

Yuki was confused. What did he mean by “awakening” and why did the mere mention make her feel sick to her stomach?

She heard Zess stop dead in his tracks. “Hey, Takashiro…”

The blonde had to suppress a scream as she felt the amount of energy that Zess flung towards Takashiro. Dante used to have Yuki practice her dodging by calling up Cerberus, a three headed nunchuck that could turn into a giant three headed dog of ice and destruction, and even the hound of hell wasn’t as intimidating as Zess was in that single moment.

“Takashiro-sama!” That would be Tsukumo.

“Zess, what are you thinking?” Touko cried out.

“So, you approve of your beloved leader putting the one you’re supposed to protect in danger?”

It was like a train wreck, Yuki wanted to get away but for some reason she just had to stay put like a gawking idiot and see what the outcome was. 

Magic crackled off of Zess as he hissed out one final warning, “Takashiro, I don’t trust you in the slightest; so, if you, your clan, or anyone else hurts Yuki, it won’t matter which side I’m on. I will kill whoever is responsible, especially if it’s you.”

That was when the metaphorical train wreck was over for Yuki. She didn’t want to hear any more of what they had to say and started walking as silently as she could. Once Yuki knew that she was out of earshot, she started running towards her house.

* * *

Once Yuki was back in the busier part of the city, she slowed down from a run to a walk.

“I invoked some sort of law. When I said I wanted something exciting to happen the other day I meant that Dad would let me go out on jobs again and would go back to normal. Instead, I find out that I am a key player in a fight against the lowest circle of Hell.” Yuki grumbled to herself. “Maybe I should pop in and see if Rodin opened the door for the Las Vegas Gates of Hell location.”

Deciding on her next destination, Yuki decided to make her way to the bus stop. Once she arrived, she spotted a pair of women gossiping in front of the bus stop. If it wasn’t for the fact that on one woman’s shoulder was an animal that looked like it was what would happen if an Alien chest baby reject grew up and had a kid with one of the wolves from earlier, she would have just kept to herself.

Instead, Yuki thought to herself ‘Yuki Shikibe, this woman can’t see this demon because she doesn’t have Sight and you have a duty to Capulet City’s well-being to exterminate it’ and proceeded to reach into her bag to take out something that could be used as a discrete weapon, only to curse softly to herself yet again when she remembered that she only had her school bag.

The creature jerked around upon hearing the curse. Yuki gave it a look of determination, as if daring it to attack her. The Duras bared its fangs and leapt off the woman, skittering towards the girl at a break-neck speed. As it leapt towards her, it was shattered by a stray shot of purple lightning.

A new weight rested itself onto Yuki’s shoulder. The teen reached up with her now free hand and gently let it curl around the fingers that gripped her shoulder in a soft grasp, as if she had done it thousands of times before that day. Looking at the source, Yuki saw that the hand belonged to the pale man that had become her second shadow.

“I’ll take you home, Yuki.” The silver eyed man was a strange comfort.

“Thanks.” Yuki was still shaking, causing Zess’ gaze to soften.

* * *

Zess and Yuki were sitting on the bench from yesterday, her shaking almost gone. “Have you calmed down now?”

“Yes, thank you,” Yuki said. “I don’t know what’s going on! I’m not this jumpy around demons. Hell, demons tend to fear _me_ most of the time, but I froze up like I was an apprentice all over again!”

Zess returned Yuki’s retort with a sad look. “You need to be extra wary for the next few days. Tomorrow is a Walpurgis Night.”

“Walpurgis Night?”

“Yes, the night when the moon is stained with blood,” Zess answered cryptically before standing up. “It’s when demons can fully express their powers as they gather to celebrate the Walpurgis in the name of their master.”

Yuki nodded, “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. Just as long as nobody runs down the street yelling ‘Hail Mundus’ or anything like that, I think we’ll be fine.”

* * *

“So, what’s his name?” Nero teased from the second floor of the Devil May Cry.

Yuki sputtered as she looked up to her grinning cousin, face flushed. “I-I don’t know what you mean!”

“C’mon sis, a handsome guy walks you home after you go MIA from an early dismissal and warns you not to go outside by yourself tomorrow? You can’t tell me that nothing is going on,” Nero’s grin only seemed to widen.

“He was just being nice, Nero!” Yuki huffed as she crossed her arms, “He was just telling me that tomorrow is a Walpurgis Night and that demons would be running around more than usual.”

“Walpurgis Night?”

“Walpurgis Night, or Walpurgisnacht, is the term used for the feast held around the first day of spring, about six months before All Hallows’ Eve or Halloween. It’s pretty big in mostly European countries. Traditionally, it’s a pagan holiday that was canonized by the Catholic Church to make it easier to convert more members of the Church. In some countries, such as Germany, it’s regarded as the night that witches hold a large celebration. Usually plays based on horror stories such as Faustus and Dracula are performed. It’s like Halloween with all the pranking and more connection to the occult than usual, just without the candy,” Kyrie rattled off from her spot on the couch, never taking her eyes off her book. “Seriously Nero, I thought you would know about one of the biggest days of demonic activity.”

“Yeah, well the moon is always kinda red around here even though an eclipse was not supposed to happen for one thing,” Yuki added. “If a not-red mood in Capulet City isn’t a huge sign not to mess with something, then I don’t know what is.”

* * *

True to her word, Yuki stayed inside the Devil May cry all of the next day. She occupied her time with homework and other odds and ends, but something was itching under her skin and calling for her to go outside. Every time she would get the urge to leave her home, she would give herself some excuse as to why she should stay inside. If she was not in school, she was usually in her room reading or listening to music. She had not been hunting often ever since the previous year with the Red Grave incident. Even then, she stopped going out unless she was running an errand after she was named suspect #1 during the disappearance of her friends, even with the evidence proving her innocence.

Several hours later and the fateful evening of Walpurgis Night had come, and Yuki was holed up in her room.

She sighed as she sat on the floor and leaned against her bed, thinking about the past few days and how her life was slowly spiraling out of control. “I probably won’t see them anymore. Even Zess.”

Pulling her knees up to her chest, Yuki continued to think about the dark haired man. “Why do I feel so alone? Why? How can I feel so alone when I’ve only known someone for a little more than two days?”

Yuki nearly jumped as a few bars of _Killer Queen_ broke the silence in her room. Looking over for the source, Yuki took a deep breath when she realized that it was just her cellphone.

She frowned as she saw the Caller ID. For some reason, Uzuki was calling her despite everything he had said to her earlier.

Shrugging, Yuki accepted the call, “Hey Uzuki. What’s up?”

“…Yuki?”

Yuki narrowed her eyes, “Yeah, it’s Yuki. Kota, what’s wrong?”

“Oh God, please help me.”

The witch immediately sat up straighter, “Kota where are you?”

“T-That carnival came back. Oh God, please help me!”

The call immediately cut off.

Staring at her phone, Yuki took a few deep breaths before standing up and walking over to her closet and opening the door. The first thing she pulled out a pendant. At first glance, it was nothing special and looked like a piece of chunky jewelry, but anyone could tell that it was special upon closer inspection.

The amulet was a gift from Lucia with help from Rodin; a large blue stone attached to a leather cord by a ring of silver that had been made to look like a serpent eating its own tail. If one held it close, they could hear the whispering of the demons sealed inside of gemstone.

**_My lady…_ **

**_Young miss!_ **

**_Use us! Use us!_ **

**_It’s been so long._ **

**_Fight. Let me fight!_ **

“The Uroboros, my personal demon container and weapon holder… it seems we are needed once again.”

The amulet glowed once, as if responding to Yuki.

“You’re going after him, aren’t you?”

Yuki looked up to see Kanata in the doorway, leaning on the door frame as he looked down at the pendant in her hands.

“Don’t you think that it’s strange? Kota hasn’t spoken two nice words to you in months and all of a sudden he calls you out of the blue on a night when demonic activity is on the rise without telling you where he is?”

Yuki nodded put on the necklace nonetheless, “Still, he’s the only friend I got left, Kanata. I’m not going to forsake him.”

“You really are too naïve about people, little sister.”

Yuki looked up to see Kanata looking at her with a face of neutral displeasure. “Didn’t I say this before? Human beings, all of them, are foolish creatures who only do things to help themselves. You can’t just trust them so easily.”

Yuki stared at her brother for a few seconds before continuing to search for more items in her closet, “I understand what you’re trying to say, dear older brother, but I’m fine with that. If I’m fooled, then I’m fooled. It’s fine. It’s not worth having to doubt your friends.”

Kanata could only watch helplessly as his sister started to get out a familiar red outfit.

“If Uzuki is in the clutches of a demon, I won’t leave him. I know more than anyone just what they are capable of at their worst.” Yuki gave her brother a rather serious yet haunted look. “If I can save even one person from going through what I did at the hands of demons, then it is worth it.”


	4. Walpurgis Night

Chapter 4: Walpurgis Night

Kota Uzuki was not a particularly religious person, but at the moment he was ready to promise himself to priesthood if he was allowed to live.

He was a bit of a quiet kid when he was young, always sacrificing his own wants and needs in order to gain approval from his mother. He pushed himself to be better than his peers and cousins; extra school and classes instead of friends, extra curriculars instead of childhood, he did that all to be the best.

Then his mother tried to kill him, which caused his parents to get a divorce and his father to request a transfer to a different branch of the company so Uzuki would be away from his mother’s side of the family, which his father called a toxic cesspool. No matter what Uzuki did, it would never be enough for his mother’s side of the family.

His sacrifices were meaningless in the end. The jagged rolling stone that formed in his stomach at that revelation would never go away, that much Uzuki was sure of as he and his father boarded a plane for the United States.

He adjusted quickly to his new school. He knew enough English to get by and the fact that there was someone else in the school who was fluent in Japanese to help him was a plus. That person was Yuki Shikibe, the daughter of a local handyman.

She was kind, funny, and smart. She made good grades and had a lot of friends who later became his friends as well. Everything was fine for a while. Each passing day seemed to dull the ache that rolling stone produced.

Then high school came, and it was as if a switch was flipped. Yuki kept up her grades, but she started to distance herself from most of their former friends. By the time freshman year had ended, she had gotten in trouble at least four times for fighting, but that was mostly due to the school’s bullshit zero tolerance bullying policy.

Then his friends went missing and Yuki was named suspect number one due to a social media slander of her character by some of their more unruly schoolmates, the egging on from the parents of one of the missing girls not helping. Another parent blamed Yuki for causing his marriage to fall apart, which resulted in his ex-wife and ex-mother-in-law disappearing into the night with his only surviving child. The police cleared Yuki since she was able to prove that she was not in town when the disappearances occurred, but people still gave her a wide berth.

Uzuki’s world was shattered once again. He hated Yuki for months after that, not believing her when she said that the police cleared her since she was not in town during their disappearances. That all changed when he found an old book with an incantation that would allow him to get revenge. All he had to do was pray to a strange spirit for 100 nights and he would have the power to avenge his friends.

Uzuki followed the spirit’s advice to try and knock Yuki down a few pegs. He sent his former friend letters made of cut-out newspaper and magazine clippings. He insulted her to her face. He prayed every night to his new friend about his deeds and was praised for committing evil acts to strengthen his new partner, and now it was time to pay the piper.

At the time, it seemed like a good idea. Emmett, Jake, Sarah, Miata, and Chris were his friends and losing them hurt almost as much as the time his mother tried to kill him. Part of him had blamed Yuki, thinking that if she had gone along with them then maybe she could have talked them out of going on the ride or going to the carnival in general since she was the most level-headed of the group.

Now, Uzuki was gagged and tied to a fake in a dried-out boat ride while he and his new friend Bayu waited for Yuki.

Bayu was waiting for Yuki out front, disguised a Uzuki himself. The demon, or rather Midvillain as he had introduced himself, used Uzuki’s voice to call Yuki and lure her out to the old carnival site to kill her. Then, with their bargain complete, Bayu would take his soul as payment.

The glasses wearing boy almost screamed as he felt a hand cover his already gagged mouth.

A familiar voice whispered in his ear, “Kota, it’s me. I’m going to get you out but don’t scream, okay? I need you to stay as still as possible.”

Uzuki nodded and tried not to whimper in fear as he felt the ropes and gag being untied. As he turned around to scold Yuki for coming after him, Uzuki could hardly believe his eyes, even going as far as to adjust his glasses to make sure that he was not hallucinating.

The Yuki he knew preferred baggy pants to skirts and tended to cover-up her body, usually wearing a light jacket or hoodie over whatever outfit she was wearing that day. She even joked about wearing a jacket over her prom dress at one point.

The Yuki standing before him was nothing like the girl he grew to know as his friend. Her hair was in a tight bun wrapped in a braid. She was wearing a black sleeveless mock-turtleneck under a dark red leather vest with black clasps. Yuki’s pants matched the color of the vest with two black belts wrapped around her right upper thigh. She wore a pair of long fingerless gloves connected to a ring on each of her middle fingers and left her shoulders bare. Around her waist was a belt that had multiple large pouches resting on her hips and around to her lower back. Around her neck was a necklace with a dark blue pendant hanging off of it.

Uzuki gaped for a few seconds as he rubbed his wrists. Before he could speak Yuki placed a finger on his lips and jabbed her thumb in the direction she had come from.

Uzuki nodded and stood up as quickly and quietly as he could.

Yuki grabbed his arm and started dragging her friend through the old, dried out boat ride track. Given the ‘islands’ that the boats would supposedly pass by during normal operating hours, the ride looked like it was a standard bayou swamp ride with added edge when it was operating. Every so often, Yuki would spy what she hoped was a fake skeleton or corpse sitting up against or hanging from one of the fake trees.

Uzuki finally got the courage to talk again, “How did you find me? Bayu didn’t say where I was! Hell, what are you wearing?”

Yuki shot him a quick smile, “In order: location spell, location spell, and hunting outfit.”

“Wait a sec, that rumor about you and demons was true?”

Yuki gave her friend a puzzled look, “Yeah, it’s true. Why do you think Maddie’s church-going parents kinda hated me and my family? Now hurry up, we’re almost at the exit!”

Just as the two were a few yards away from the exit door, it slammed shut.

Yuki and Uzuki blanched as they started to pound on the door and slam their bodies into it, not caring if they would attract Bayu. Just as the door seemed like it was going to open, the door started to glow purple, signaling how it was now being kept closed by demonic energy.

Yuki gave a small sound of disgust before touching her pendant, causing it to glow, “That’s it, I’m blasting us out of here.”

“And miss the reunion? I’m hurt that your friends mean so little to you, Miss Shikibe.”

Yuki and Uzuki turned to see Bayu standing casually on one of the fake islands.

Yuki’s eyes narrowed at the creature before her, “I take it you’re the Duras?”

Bayu narrowed his eyes, looking almost insulted. “The great huntress doesn’t know about the Duras hierarchy? So much for being the prodigy all the demons in this city whisper about. I’m a Midvillain class, so keep that in mind.”

“Still, I did have a nice gift all ready for you. It wasn’t easy to get a hold of them y’know, or clearing out place for the night,” Bayu snapped his fingers, causing two boats to move forward on the tracks. “The residents of this place did their best to keep your friends in one piece, but you can only do so much with human remains.”

Uzuki’s scream and Yuki’s swearing drowned out any laughter from the demon he had summoned.

Yuki remembered the last time she had seen her group of friends. They were all talking about going to the new carnival that had set up shop and going on what was advertised as _"the world's most terrifying ride"_ but Yuki had to drop out due to her previous obligations with Nero.

Last she recalled her friends, Emmett was in his favorite black hoodie and jeans, Jake was in a red polo with yellow stripes on the sleeves, Maddie was wearing the school uniform for the only Catholic high school in the city, and Miata and Chris looked like they stepped straight out of a punk rock music video.

Their skeletons were still wearing the same clothes the group had been wearing when they went missing that fateful night.

Jake and Maddie shared a row on the boat and the two were holding onto each other, Maddie’s face buried in Jake’s chest. Emmett had his face buried in Chris’ back, as if trying to hide behind his taller friend, with one hand wrapped around to hold onto Miata’s hand. Chris’s left hand was over Emmett’s as he used his other arm to hold Miata close, the girl using her free arm to cover her eyes.

Bayu smirked as the light from Yuki’s amulet began to die down. “I’ve got to say, I was expecting more from the infamous granddaughter of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda. Too bad I got my hopes up; it’s clear that your family is all bark and no bite.”

Yuki narrowed her eyes, “How dare you speak ill of my grandfather!”

“That traitor sired two sons with the witch he was a patron to and in turn, those sons had children of their own, well one of them did at least. The other got into the habit of collecting humans and calling them his children. The end of his bloodline will cause much celebration, I assure you.” Bayu laughed, “I’ve got to say, you did not learn after what happened with the Qliphoth appeared in your world. That made news even in our corner of Hell since it means that demons and even Duras now have an easier time getting topside. Of course, we all know who we have to thank for that. What was his name again? I’m sure it began with a ‘V’ now that I think about it.”

Yuki snarled at the Midvillain as she touched the blue gemstone hanging from her throat once again, “If you want to live, you will never speak about that traitor in my presence.”

“Such _anger_ towards your dear _uncle_. I wonder what your Daddy would have to say about-”

“CNOQUODI!”

A creature rose up from Yuki’s shadow and took the form of a flaming canine, which roared and ran towards Bayu. The Midvillain jumped out of the way of the first attack and kept dodging as the flaming demon continued to leap and bite at him.

“And there’s plenty more where that came from!”

Yuki and Uzuki spared the remains of their friends one last looked before turning back to the door. Reaching into one of her back pouches, Yuki took out a few vials of Holy Water and handed one to Uzuki.

“On three, we throw this at the door. One-”

There was a roar of pain from behind the duo. Yuki’s pendant glowed as a dark mass shot back into her shadow, signaling that her familiar had been defeated.

“THREE!” Uzuki screamed as they both threw the vials, effectively causing the demonic aura to fade. The door opened slightly, but it was enough for Yuki and Uzuki to push open and sprint out.

“Get back here!”

Multiple thorned vines erupted from the ground and shot towards the two teenagers, but both were pushed out of the way at the last minute.

“Are you two okay?”

Yuki and Uzuki looked over to see that it was Tsukumo who had pushed them out of the way.

“Ya sure got guts, jumping in like that,” Bayu mused as he appeared out of the shadows. “I’ve heard of people who are reckless with their lives like that, but you’re not a normal person, are you? You’re one of the Giou’s Zweilts, aren’t ya?”

Tsukumo glared as he raised his gun and pointed it at the Midvillain. He winced as he attempted to stand up, only to fall over and clutch at his side in pain.

“Tsukumo!” Yuki scrambled over to her distant cousin to take a look at his wound. She gave a small hiss of anger as she saw the wound, blood slowly oozing from it as the area around it turned black and purple from demon venom.

Reaching into another one of her pouches, Yuki pulled out a glowing green star, a yellow lollipop that was shaped like a crescent moon, and a green lollipop that was shaped like a large cluster of mint leaves.

She instantly put the yellow lollipop in her mouth, creating a barrier that covered her, Tsukumo, and Uzuki.

“You really think this can protect you?” Bayu snarled and summoned a sword. He then pointed to the group of humans, “Break that shield and bring me the bitch in red!”

The vines from early burst out of the ground and started to stab at the yellow barrier, making a few cracks during the onslaught but bursting the minute they made contact.

“I can do this all night, bitch!”

Ignoring Bayu, Yuki nicked a Green Star and then squeezed the liquid inside it onto Tsukumo’s wound, effectively purging all of the poison from the teen’s body. She then shoved the glowing green lollipop into his mouth.

Yuki then shoved a larger yellow lollipop into Uzuki’s mouth as the barrier started to die down, “This will only last for so long. Make sure Tsukumo eats all of that lollipop in his mouth and he’ll be fine. As soon as my shield drops, get out of here.”

“But Yuki-”

Yuki’s pendant glowed once again as she whispered another word, this time summoning a large skeletal horse. She then hoisted both Uzuki and Tsukumo up and threw them onto the back of the demonic steed, “Go and get help, Kota!”

Uzuki flinched at the volume of Yuki’s voice before looking at her face and nodding. It was clear that the girl before him was not his friend at the moment, but someone on a mission. With a small nod, he and Tsukumo were taken away from the battlefield on the back of the the Geryon.

As Uzuki and Tsukumo disappeared, Yuki stood up and glared at Bayu. She extended her arm out with an open hand, which caused the amulet to glow again. In a flash of light, a sword appeared in Yuki’s hand, which she automatically grabbed by the hilt.

The sword had the head of a dragon biting the blade with the wings of the dragon acting as the guard. The hilt had a swirling pattern leading to skulls at the bottom with a spike pointing out. It sparked with purple lighting every few seconds.

 _Alastor, my old friend. I’m sorry that I neglected you all this time_ , Yuki thought as she pointed her sword towards Bayu. “I may be rusty and only half trained as an Umbra Witch, but I’ve been fighting demons for years and that’s skill enough to take you down!”

Bayu threw back his head and laughed. “I get to kill a Zweilt, get a human slave, and have the honor of killing you! The Granddaughter of the Traitor, the second Unbreakable Huntress, the Light of God; your head alone will get me a seat at the table with the likes of the Lords of Infernus”

Yuki narrowed her eyes as she gripped Alastor with both hands and got into a stance, “You can try!”

Bayu grinned before he shimmered and disappeared, only to reappear in from of Yuki, his sword clashing against hers as she lifted it to defend herself at the last second. Yuki grit her teeth as the blow caused her to be pushed back by a few inches.

“Got to admit, you’re faster than you look,” Yuki hissed. She hid a wince as Alastor started to feed some of his energy into her body. “Then again, I got some tricks of my own. Ultra Violet Kick!”

Yuki swung her back leg, now crackling with purple lightning, at Bayu’s side, which caused the demon to jump back in order to dodge the strike. The moment Yuki’s leg was touching the ground again, she started to thrust her blade forward multiple times, effectively driving Bayu back.

Bayu growled before jumping back and landing a few feet away from Yuki and on a piece of debris. “You know, for a so-called huntress you’re really bad at hitting your mark.”

“Who said I was trying to hit you? Nero, now!”

Bayu opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a gurgle as a demonic fist burst through his chest. Just as quickly as it had been thrust in, the fist was removed, causing Bayu to slump to the ground.

As Bayu curled up into a ball and tried to heal himself, he shuddered as two hands picked him up and held him out in front of a demon he had never seen before.

The demon was a humanoid figure with long white hair with a pair of curled horns on top of his head. His eyes were yellow with a slit pupil, the sclarea around the iris pitch black. The demon’s skin was a blueish-grey color with glowing blue veins with patches of red scales that ran along his body. Two glowing wing-like arms, the two that were holding him up, that protruded from him back.

Yuki smirked as she dismissed her weapon. “Nero, meet Bayu. Bayu, meet the current heir of Sparda. Didn’t you think that it was odd that no other demons have appeared and that your vines are gone?”

Bayu barely had any time to scream as Nero gripped his head with his two free hands and ripped off it off.

Yuki and Nero watched as Bayu’s body turned into dust, Nero returning to human form as the dust blew away in the wind. After a few seconds of waiting, Yuki’s eye twitched.

“He didn’t drop anything!? He should have been worth at least 20 red orbs!”

* * *

Half an hour later, Yuki was wrapped in a blanket along with Uzuki as multiple police cars surrounded the area and Nero gave his statement over what had happened to the police. Apparently, Kanata had called them saying that Yuki had been called by Uzuki and was going to meet up with him for a talk. Kanata then told the police that Yuki had told him that if he did not receive a call from her after a certain time, then the worst had happened.

While most normal police would not investigate this matter and tell a normal person to call back in 24 hours to file a missing person’s report, the police in Capulet City knew better given the mysterious circumstances behind certain cases since the Abigail incident and almost every matter was investigated thoroughly since the Qliphoth Tree. Since then, demonic activity had been accepted as a cause of death, especially if someone from Devil May Cry was calling it in.

After Nero was done giving his statement, the officers moved onto questioning Yuki and Uzuki about what had happened. The quarter-demon gave his cousin and her friend a look of pity and they told the police their semi-rehearsed reasons for being at the carnival, the two teens doing their best to stay composed as the night’s events caught up to them. Their composure broke as they watched the medical examiners cart out more than just five body bags from the dried-out boat ride.

* * *

The minute Yuki stepped into her home, her mother had led her to the couch and began scolding her about sneaking out. While she had saved her friend and solved the cold case regarding her friends, that did not erase the fact that Yuki had gone out during a night of increased demon activity.

“Do you have any idea how late it is? You’re lucky that Kanata warned us about what you were doing, young lady! What if Nero had not shown up when he did? Are you paying attention to a word I’m saying?!”

Nero gently placed a hand on his aunt’s shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. “Mizuki, Yuki has been through a lot tonight. She acted on instinct and saved someone, so that should be enough right?”

Mizuki stopped and looked at her daughter, noting how exhausted the teen looked. “Yuki… just go. Take a shower. Go to your room. Get some sleep. We’ll talk about a punishment tomorrow.”

Yuki gave a small nod and walked away. As she turned the corner to walk down the hall upstairs, Mizuki rounded on Nero.

“What was she thinking? After everything that she went through last year after the Qliphoth was destroyed, I would think that she would send only you after her friend!”

Nero sighed as he took the brunt of Mizuki’s justified anger. _Yuki, you owe me for this._

* * *

Yuki sneezed as she pulled a sleepshirt over her head. She had no doubts that Nero was silently cursing her for leaving him with her mother, but they were partners and partners stuck together through thick and thin. Sometimes sticking together through think and thin meant taking the fall for the other.

 _Nero owes me anyway. He’ll understand,_ Yuki thought to herself she folded her clothes from earlier and put them on her desk chair.

Looking out her window, Yuki watched as the red was starting to fade away from the moon.

“Looks like I need to have a talk with Rodin."


	5. He's a Demon Too

Chapter 5: He’s a Demon Too

Takashiro glared down at the bottom of his empty scotch glass, the ice cubes tinkling as they melted and hit each other. Yuki was supposed to have awakened as the Light of God during Walpurgis Night three days ago but instead had defeated a Midvillain with the help of her cousin and she had found a way to heal Tsukumo without needing to awaken her powers.

As long as they could remember, the Zweilt had been taught that only the power of the Light of God could heal wounds made by the demonic forces of Infernus, but Yuki had found a way around that as well. Not only was she beginning to shake the trust and obedience Takashiro had garnered as the commander of the Zweilt and head of the Giou clan, but somehow Yuki had managed to get her hands on something akin to a grimoire and master it.

At this rate, Takashiro would not be going back to Japan with his most valuable chess piece. Between the hangover from the previous night, the constant messages from the World’s End agency, and the constant calls from the Japanese government about his return to help run the anti-demon taskforce they wanted to implement, Takashiro was ready to go back to the Devil May Cry and take Yuki by force, consequences be damned.

Takashiro shuddered as he felt _that thing_ slither under his skin. With a roar of anger, he picked up his glass and threw it at the wall, causing it to shatter on impact.

* * *

In another part of the hotel suite, Touko and Tsukumo flinched when they heard the glass shattering. Tsukumo was laying on this bed, idling staring at an open book he could not bring himself to focus on while Touko was flipping through the channels on the television and not really paying attention but just looking for some background noise.

“You know, all of my classmates would be jealous of me right now if they knew I was in America,” Touko muttered.

Tsukumo sighed as the put his book away and checked his bag for another one that might be a bit more exciting. “It can’t be helped. When they think America, they think of the big cities like Los Angeles, New York, or Las Vegas. We are not in any of those, so of course it would be a bit boring.”

“Yeah, boring except for all the demons around here. How can Yuki-chan stand to live in a place like this? It’s far away from anything fun!”

Tsukumo grimaced as he unconsciously touched the spot on his side where he had been poisoned. Touko and Zess had been caught up in fighting the lower class Duras and demons from the other Eight Circles, but he was able to find an opening to go after Yuki. Not only did he fail in protecting Yuki, but he also failed in his mission to help awaken her powers as the Light of God.

“We’re going to have to find a different way to get Yuki to come with us,” Touko said firmly as she shot up from the couch. “Maybe we could have Takashiro-sama try to persuade her again?”

Tsukumo shook his head, “I doubt that will work. Besides, even if he tried to bewitch her, we would have some top name hunters after us. I checked who Devil May Cry is affiliated with and I don’t think Takashiro will risk World’s End or any companies associated to the clan to get his hands on Yuki since it will spell our downfall.”

Touko deflated a bit at the revelation. At the rate things were progressing, only an act of God was going to get Yuki on their side.

Leaning over, Tsukumo grabbed the room service menu for the hotel. Maybe a snack could help calm his nerves.

* * *

Yuki groaned as her head hit the front bar, causing her virgin strawberry daiquiri to shake a bit.

The teenage witch had been given the day off from school, along with the rest of the student body, in light of the corpses of five schoolmates being found. Needing information on Duras, Yuki decided to visit the only person in town who would have the information she needed: Father Rodin.

Rodin was once the fallen angel in charge of creation and ruled a portion of Paradiso for a time until he was exiled after fighting in an insurgency against Paradiso, which landed him in Inferno. After a while, he clawed his way up to being the most powerful demon in Inferno, then came to Earth and opened a bar. He was willing to give out information, but for a price. Usually, he asked for halos of fallen angels or the red orb blood shards dropped by demons, but there were times where he would exchange information for information or for an item that could serve as equivalent exchange or collateral. Dante was known to have sold some of his Devil Arms to Rodin back in the day, which were swiftly bought by Cereza and Jeanne, who gave them to Yuki as Christmas and birthday gifts.

Rodin’s bar, the Gates of Hell, was like a liminal space. He had locations all over the world, but they all led to the same room. While the main location frequented by Cereza and Jeanne was in New York and fit in with all the other places open in Hell’s Kitchen, the Capulet City location was in one of the poorer areas and even then, one had to walk down three flights of stairs to get to the cellar entrance. Thankfully, it was an off day so Rodin could afford to relax a little.

“So, Rodin, what can you tell me about a demon race called the Duras?”

Rodin raised an eyebrow from behind his sunglasses before smirking, “You’re gonna want to get comfortable.”

Yuki held up her half-filled glass and shook it a little, “This is the part of the conversation where I ask if I’m going to regret not asking for a shot of something in this, isn’t it?”

Rodin laughed as Yuki sat back up and downed her drink in one shot. “Oh honey, you’ve got a big storm coming.”

Yuki glared half-heartedly at someone who was probably the most powerful person on the planet before placing a bottle of Shinshu saké on the counter, “Spill it.”

Rodin smiled at the girl in front of him. “Looks like you’re serious. Haven’t seen that look since Lucia and I gave you Uroboros.”

The immortal man reached under the counter and pulled out the oldest and mustiest book Yuki had ever seen. The smell alone was enough to make her nose wrinkle and the thing had not been opened yet.

“Alright, so you know about the Trinity of Realities? Well, while some of the angels ended up in Paradiso, others ended up in Inferno along with their leader Lucifer and bare the closest resemblance to humans since they were stripped of a majority of their holy powers and lost their original forms. For their arrogance, they took on the name Duras, which means Prideful Ones. Over the generations, they started coupling with the offspring of original she-demon Lilith, the original demons that came into being after Inferno was created, or with the souls of the damned, which resulted in the demons of the other circles. There are three classes of Duras. Opasts are pureblooded Duras who only have fallen angel or OG Demon blood in them, Midvillains are Duras who have coupled with the offspring of Lilith or damned souls, and Niedatrechy are the byproduct of a Midvillain or Opast destroying souls and not cleaning up the remains. The closer to the center of Inferno a creature comes from, the harder it is for a normal person to see it. Since they are creatures that exist as demonic and angelic at the same time, Lumen Sages and Umbra Witches did not form contracts with them all that often since too many of them were either too much of angelic or too demonic. They didn’t like the mixing of blood in many situations, not just Bayonetta’s case.”

“This does explain why that lady couldn’t see that Niedatrechy a few days ago,” Yuki said as she massaged her temples. “You know, the more I learn about Inferno, Hell, no, I mean, Infernus, whatever people want to call it, the more I feel like I really need to find that Alighieri poet guy and kick his ass. Just when I thought I knew everything; you go and shoot that in the foot.”

Rodin laughed as he handed Yuki another daquiri, “You better believe it. Thing is that a family was able to find a way to fight off these creatures. The Giou clan in Japan.”

Yuki nodded, “Yeah, a few of their members tried to recruit me. One of them was a guy named Takashiro while the other two members were something called Zweilt.”

“Damn, that Takashiro is still alive and kicking? I’m surprised he’s lasted this long. Then again, he’s a tough old bastard. Smart, cunning, and it sounds like he still has his fingers in a whole lot of pies, if you catch my drift. He is a dangerous man that can ruin your reputation and finances with a flick of his wrist, so he is _not_ someone you want to fuck with as a normal human. If you’re part of the supernatural community, you want to stay the hell away from him.”

Yuki blinked in confusion, “What do you mean?”

Rodin poured Yuki another daiquiri before taking out a saké cup for himself. Without prompting, Yuki opened the bottle she had brought with her and poured a bit for the immortal in front of her.

“I’m not completely all knowing but I can share with you what I know about the Giou and Takashiro. I still hear the buzz in Inferno about him after all,” Taking a sip of the saké, Rodin pulled out a spare barstool he kept behind the counter and took a seat. Yuki immediately straightened her posture; Rodin was going into lecture mode and she could not afford to miss anything.

“Alright missy, here’s how the supernatural birds and bees works, don’t give me that look we got to set groundwork. When a human and a demon love each other very much, they create Cambions. When a human and an angel love each other very much, they create Nephilim. The Giou clan were a bunch of humans and Nephilim who fought against the Duras back when the Earth was ruled by demons, with the Duras ruling over Japan just as Sparda ruled over Fortuna. The fact that you fought a Duras here in America is a bit concerning, meaning that someone is actively hunting you down.”

Rodin held his cup out again to Yuki, who filled it without breaking eye contact. Rodin smiled as he downed his second drink. “Much obliged. Anyway, Nephilim aren’t like Cambions in the sense of their power being passed down. When a Cambion mates with a human, their children will have demonic powers no matter what, Nero being the perfect example. On the other side, if a Nephilim mate with a human, they produce humans with slightly more than average strength and one special ability if they’re lucky, but they don’t get an automatic win with superpowers or anything like Cambions.

“If a Nephilim mates with another Nephilim, then they have a good chance of producing children with a powerset close to an angel. Giou was the name given to an angel from Paradiso that decided to aid the humans. In order to combat the Duras, he took some of his most loyal female followers and had them bare him children to serve as his commanders. As luck would have it, he was gifted with ten sons.”

The glass was held out, swiftly refilled, and drained for a third time.

“So, the Giou are a powerful clan that are descended from ten Nephilim commanders and their followers. With Giou as the main branch, there are nine additional branch families: Shinmei, Murasame, Renjou, Usui, Hourai, Furuori, Otona, Shikibe, and Reisen. Out of all the branches, the Shikibe branch is the most powerful. The Giou Clan also has a monopoly on all supernatural families in Japan. All psychics, omyouji, mediums, spiritual healers, and powerful monks and priestesses all serve the clan in some capacity. Since the Giou has a monopoly on these people, many companies will go to the Giou for advice or marry into one of the vassal families for influence. The Giou basically have an ironclad grip on 65% of Japan’s economy and a good 25% on the government.”

A fourth drink.

“Now, the Zweilt Guardians are a special bunch. They are the reincarnations of the original Nephilim that fought the Duras and sent them back to Inferno, but they call it Infernus. It is rare for a Zweilt to work alone or not have a partner, with the partnership ritual being like a wedding ceremony with a ring exchange and everything. It is possible for a member of the Ten Houses to become a new member since they might inherit the “inborn gift” since the Giou encourage the Zweilt to have children with one another and it will occasionally crop up in the Zweilt pairing descendants or descendants of Zweilt who married into one of the other branches. With enough strenuous training and a strong enough will, almost anyone from the Giou clan can become a Zweilt Guardian, but it is exceedingly difficult to do so. When a Zweilt dies, a ritual is conducted to prevent their soul from moving on to the afterlife and instead keeps them in the Human World to reincarnate.”

As the fifth drink was downed, Rodin not saying anything else until Yuki poured him a sixth drink.

“Japan is full of barriers that keep the Duras from coming to our world, but things like murder, suicide, and other crimes along with human panic tend to weaken the barriers and causes Duras activity to flare up. When that happens, the Zweilt are reborn to fight against the Duras. They have an advantage over a normal hunter since they have their Nephilim gifts, which the Giou clan have named to be the God’s Blessings. The most coveted gift is the Light of God, who is always born into the Shikibe family, hence their power and influence.”

Yuki flinched at the mention of Light of God, the title Bayu had called her during their fight among other things.

“Rodin, what is the role of the Light of God?”

Rodin sighed, not asking for another drink. “The Giou clan have held their seat of power for a long time and have stayed isolated for the most part until the country’s borders were forced open, so they don’t care much for outsiders trying to help or using methods other than the ones they’ve been using for centuries, to keep the clan in line and to form dependency on their ways. The Light of God acts as the tank for the Giou, specializing in barriers and acts as their main defense. She also was the only one of Giou’s soldiers that could heal wounds made by the Duras, but the cost is high.”

Yuki almost jumped out of her seat, fear evident on her face, “How high?”

Rodin nodded, “From what the buzz in Inferno is telling me, she uses her own hit points to heal others. Her job is to take on the pain and sins of her comrades at the cost of her own life. Since she is so valuable, the Light of God is usually kept off the front lines unless absolutely necessary.”

 _That is why Takashiro wants me? Does this mean everything I’ve worked for was for nothing?_ Yuki’s breathing started to quicken.

Rodin stared at Yuki for a few seconds before grimacing and pouring himself another cup. “You’re the Light of God this lifetime, aren’t you?”

Yuki nodded, not bothering to hold back her tears. “Bayu, the Duras from the other night, he called me the Light of God among other things.”

Rodin nodded before pulling out a highball glass and started putting some ice into it. He then poured some rum into it and topped it with cola, garnishing the glass with a lime wedge. He pushed the glass toward Yuki.

“Don’t tell anyone I gave this to ya, ya hear?”

“I’m old enough to stop the end of the world, I’m old enough to drink with the big boys.” Yuki wiped away her tears and took the drink, “You still haven’t answered my question though: why is Takashiro dangerous other than having the right connections?”

“I was getting to that, but you did come for more than just hearing about a man who wants to take you away from your family,” Rodin lightly scolded. “Anyway, Takashiro has been head of the Giou for centuries and commander of the Zweilt for the past thousand years not just because he’s reborn, but because he’s actually lived that long. Takashiro used a clan spell to seal a Duras into his body. For the past thousand years, it’s been keeping him alive and giving him the extra firepower he needs. He’s also the one that calls back the souls of dead Zweilt, but he uses it to his advantage. Usually with reincarnation spells, one starts to recall who they were once they hit a certain age and will eventually recall their past memories. With the Zweilt, they only remember key things like their partner, key battles, and how to use their abilities. The fact that you, the Light of God, have been reborn with none of that shows that Takashiro tampered with you somehow or that he isn’t as skilled as everyone makes him out to be.”

“I see. Well, from the moment I met him, I felt like I could only trust Takashiro as far as I could throw him, but I would like to know his reasons.”

Rodin nodded, “That’s all this bottle will get you. If you want anything else about Takashiro and the Giou, you’re gonna have to pay up a lot more than saké.”

Yuki shrugged before taking a large drink of the rum and coke she had been idly sipping. Then, another question hit her.

“Rodin, how much would it cost for you to tell me about a man named Zess?”

Rodin’s arm stopped when his saké cap was hallway to his mouth. Putting down the drink, Rodin gave Yuki a smile that she could not place, “Zess?”

“Yeah, he came with Takashiro and the other two Zweilt. Black hair, pale skin, eyes like silver bullets…” Yuki trailed off, a small blush appearing on her face.

Rodin threw his head back as he laughed heartedly, pounding on the counter a few times as he calmed down. “Kid, I will give you that info at no charge. Zess is an alias. He ain’t no Zweilt. For a human to know a Duras’ true name, it’s like having control over them, so they usually tend to use a fake name.”

 _Control over a Duras? I mean, there are stories about people being under the control of another entity because of the whole true name thing. Why would a Duras be fighting against his own kind?_ Yuki blushed as she recalled the demon who had saved her. For some reason, just thinking about him made her happier than anything else in the world ever since they met. _Then again, Grandfather Sparda was a demon who turned against his own kind so who I am I judge?_

“So Zess… is he one of the Duras too?”

“If this ‘Zess’ is who I think he is, then he’s not just any ol’ demon. He’s a powerful Opast of the highest caliber. In terms of power, the only demons stronger than him are me, Queen Sheba, Lucifer, Mundus, the other lords of the other Seven Circles, and Urizen in that order. Hell, he’s the one who gave me inspiration to upgrade Uroboros the way I did after I watched him fight once upon a time! You got an ally like that, you hold onto him, you hear?”

“If what you say is true, and it always is, then that is someone I cannot afford to make my enemy.”

The bar was silent for a few more minutes aside from whatever was playing in the jukebox as Rodin and Yuki finished their drinks. The fallen angel pushed another rum and coke towards Yuki.

“If you want to know how I feel about this, I highly advise that you take up Takashiro’s offer and go to Tokyo.”

Yuki raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you just say that I should stay away from him? Why should I actively jump out of the frying pan and into the fryer?”

“Go over there and how them that the Light of God isn’t some little princess that needs to be kept in an ivory tower. Show them what you are capable of and teach them what you know about demonology and healing. Stir the pot a little and let their house of cards come crashing down. The world is changing thanks to Vergil's little tree tantrum; don’t you want to be on the winning side? The only way you can learn about anything else is if you go to with your mother’s family. You’ve already gotten what you can out of me about the Giou at the moment since the rest is personal family drama, I’m not going to tell you what I do not have the right to tell you. If you want to know everything else, you’ve got to earn it or learn it on your own.”

Yuki looked at Rodin for a few seconds before nodding and downing the rest of her drink in one go. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her wallet and set a few big bills on the counter.

“For the drinks. Keep the change, as a tip. I have a few phone calls to make.”

“By the way, missy.”

Yuki looked up to see Rodin had taken off his sunglasses showing off his glowing yellow eyes. The longer she stared, the foggier her thoughts started to become.

“Do not tell the Giou anything about what I told you just yet. The time will come, but not yet. You’ll know when the time is right.”

Yuki’s eyes glazed over a bit as the command sunk into her head. After a few seconds she shook her head and gripped it with a groan, “Man, I hate it when you do that.”

“Better than the alternative. What is it that humans say about two people keeping a secret if one of them is dead?”

Yuki pinched the bridge of her nose, “You have got to lay off the teen drama television.”

Rodin was silent as Yuki walked to the door, almost at a loss about what to say.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that you have to shoulder this burden.”

Yuki flinched before opening the door and jogging up the stairs, leaving Rodin to polish off what was left of the saké by himself.

“Even if I could tell you about everything Yuki, it would cut into business. Client confidentiality and all. I hope you understand.”

* * *

As Yuki made it back topside, she was surprised to see that it was already nighttime. She knew that demons could control the time flow in their domains, but she never expected Rodin to use it on her. Then again, he did have to explain a lot and probably changed the time flow so Yuki’s brain would not get overloaded.

“Yuki!”

The teen in question whipped around to see Nero running towards her. Once she was close enough, Nero grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her.

“Where have you been? You mom has been worried sick ever since she found out you went to see Rodin! What kind of deal did you make with him? Did you sell your soul or anything?”

Yuki grabbed Nero’s hands and lifted them from her shoulders. “Relax. I had a bottle of his favorite booze and I traded that for some info. I haven’t been able to afford anything else from Rodin since he upgraded my pendant.”

Nero sighed before pulling his arms back. “C’mon, let’s go home.”

Yuki fell into step beside her partner as the two walked towards a rather familiar van, Rodin’s words still weighing on her mind the entire ride home.

“Hey Nero?”

“Yeah?”

“I think… I think I’m going to accept Takashiro’s offer.”

Nero was silent, as if he had been expecting Yuki to give that exact response. “You figure out how you’re going to tell Mizuki?”

The huntress leaned back in her seat as she thought about her mother, “Mom will most likely let me go once I explain everything to her.”

The quarter-demon smiled, “I want to be there for this conversation.”

“Why?”

“Because Fiona is going with you.”

“…Why do you hate me?”


	6. Parting of Ways

Chapter 6: Parting of Ways

Takashiro had booked a hotel conference room for their meeting so they would not have to worry about nosy neighbors, which the residents of Devil May Cry were grateful for in the end. On one side of the table sat Takashiro, the Zweilt siblings, and Zess. On the other side sat Mizuki, Yuki, Nero, Trish, and Fiona. As the main information broker for all things supernatural in the area and jack of all trades, J.D. Morrison sat at the head of the table as the mediator.

Takashiro smiled at Yuki, “I’m glad that Yuki accepted my proposal, even if it means that there are a few conditions.”

Yuki looked over at her foster sister. It had been hard for Fiona to be accepted into any universities in North America due to the two-year gap she took due to her parent’s deaths, along with how she only had one semester complete from a university in England. While she had graduated with a Master’s in chemistry, she had a hard time getting into a PhD program and had given up after a certain point. If what Rodin said about the Giou’s influence was true, Fiona could easily go to any of the universities in Tokyo with just a few calls. Given how the world was now more aware of demons and Japan did have a wider range of studies that specialized in folklore, having someone as knowledgeable with alchemy as Fiona, along with the fact that she was affiliated with Nero the Hero, would have multiple universities clamoring for her overseas.

Fiona, on the other hand, looked a bit nervous. She was fluent in Japanese thanks to Mizuki and language lessons but going to live in a different country for an uncertain amount of time was a huge change in life. While the young lady had been researching the various compounds used to make Yuki and Cereza’s lollipops along with translating the works written by her ancestor Aureolus Belli, but she did not feel confident that her research could be of help since the most she could do was work with Nico concerning combining demonic flesh with machinery to create Nero’s prosthetics.

Glancing over at her sister, Fiona swallowed and steeled herself. Mizuki’s family needed Yuki, and Yuki needed Fiona. She was not going to abandon her sister because of her own insecurities, especially when Trish gave her such an important mission to go along with her new role.

Morrison tapped a pad of paper with his pen as he gave Takashiro a leveled stare. “For the record, why is it you need Yuki for your little demon extermination project?”

Takashiro cleared his throat, “Yes well, for over a thousand years, the Giou clan has been fighting against the Duras. Our war began with an event we refer to as the “Sunset of the Underworld” and ever since then, the fighting has flared up every few hundred years or so. The Zweilt reincarnate in preparation of these flare ups so that they can defend humanity. I do believe that Mizuki briefed you on our clan’s history before this meeting.”

Morrison nodded. “She told us enough about it.”

“Then as you know, certain wounds made by the Duras can only be healed by Yuki. Not only that, but if the Zweilt fight a series of battles and use up their powers in a certain period of time, their bodies will shut down and hibernate, which takes months for them to recover. Since the Duras could use that window of time to strike, they must replenish their power, which is the other role that Yuki is to take on in this war.”

“So, Yuki is basically an over glorified healer and battery charger for you,” Nero stated bluntly as he glared at Takashiro.

“Nero!” Mizuki hissed.

Takashiro nodded, “Unfortunately, that comparison is not too off from what Yuki’s role is for us. Plainly speaking, she is the linchpin of all our strength. For as long as this battle lasts, the Duras will always be after her as a result. We are asking for her to come with us not just to help our cause, but for her own protection as well.”

“I wish this were easier, but since the folks up on Capitol Hill are starting on getting their hands on the demon hunting business, you need to sign some documents agreeing to our terms,” Morrison stood up and walked over to Takashiro, a thick packet of documents in hand. “Remember, we’re _lending_ you Yuki and asking that Fiona come along so that we have a way to make sure that you’re holding up your end of the deal. Yuki is her own person while she’s with you. She has a say about when she wants to come back and she has a say about anything regarding relationships; Mizuki did inform us how the Zweilt are encouraged to marry each other or another member of the and as long as I live Yuki will not be adhering to your customs. If you do anything that would put her in any unnecessary danger just to satisfy your own needs, we will be bringing her back home immediately, protection of Japan be damned. Got it?”

The corner of Takashiro’s mouth twitched slight but he nodded, nonetheless. “I will make sure that Yuki and Fiona will want for nothing while they are in our care.”

 _We’ll see about that,_ Trish thought as she and Mizuki started to sign the proper papers to give partial custody of their daughters to the man in front of them. _Yuki told us everything Rodin was able to share about you and your family. I will remember today, Takashiro Giou. Mark my words I will make sure you pay if anything happens to my girls._

Morrison collected the signed documents and tipped his hat as he left the room, “I will be sending copies of today’s notes and forms in two weeks. Until then, be on your guard. You can pick up the girls tomorrow.”

As every started to pack up their things to leave the meeting room, Yuki walked over to the Giou clan group.

“It looks like we’ll be working together from now on. I think this is the part where I ask you to please take care of me, right?”

Touko and Tsukumo smiled, Touko reaching out and vigorously shaking Yuki’s hand in excitement. Once Touko released her hand, Yuki turned to Zess.

“You know, now that we’re going to be working together, can I know what your real name is?”

Touko and Tsukumo looked confused, “Real name?”

Ignoring the other two, Zess cupped Yuki’s cheek, smiling as she leaned into his touch. “It’s Luka. Luka Crosszeria.”

Yuki smiled warmly as Luka began stroking her hair, “That suits you a lot better than ‘Zess’ did.”

The moment was shattered by Nero picking up Yuki from behind, throwing her over his shoulder, and walking away with her.

Yuki sputtered a bit as she tried to get out of the quarter-demon’s hold. “Nero, what the hell?!”

“You heard Morrison, cousin dearest. You’ve got some packing to do.”

As Yuki was carried away, she heard Touko start squabbling with Luka about how he gave her an alias and not his real name. Passing by some decorative mirrors in the lobby, Yuki’s eye twitched as she caught a glimpse of Nero’s self-satisfied smile.

_Dear Dad in the middle of Nowhere Hell,_

_Nero is trying to stop me from climbing my tree of a man. I am quite sure that he is sending Fiona with me to make sure there is space for Jesus between us. What would you do in this situation?_

“I can walk, you know.”

“I know. This is just a little more fun for me.”

_Do me a favor and punch your brother. Nero gets this from him, I just know it._

* * *

Uzuki swallowed as Yuki stared at him from across the table at Fredi’s Diner, a nice waitress named Cindy setting down a strawberry sundae in front of Yuki and a chocolate shake in front of Uzuki. With a small wink at the two, she roller-bladed off to fill in her next order.

After taking a bite of her sundae, Yuki pointed at Uzuki with her spoon. “So, you were the one who sent those letters?”

Uzuki flinched as he sipped on his milkshake. Pulling back with a sigh and small wince from a brain freeze, he nodded.

“I’m sorry, Yuki. You were my friend, and I left you to save my own skin after everything. I could give you every reason under the sun as to why I am sorry, but I don’t expect you to forgive me.”

Yuki shrugged as she continued eating, “I’m used to that kind of thing. If you had stuck by my side, I would have probably found a reason to push you away. You and your Dad had enough to deal with even before the carnival incident.”

Uzuki nodded again. “I didn’t cry when my mother was locked away or when my father moved us here. That day when you cried for me, I thought it was pity. I know now that wasn’t the case. You were crying for me because I couldn’t bring myself to cry.”

“I haven’t been able to control that by the way, the memory seeing and empathy. I tried to bury it and throw myself into the family business, find a way it could be useful. In the end, I still ended up hurting innocent people,” Yuki said as she dropped her spoon into her now empty sundae bowl. “I do forgive you, Kota. You’re still my friend. We just hit a little bump in the road.”

Uzuki smiled.

The two paid for their food and left the diner, stopping by a flower shop and buying a small bouquet as they made their way to the park.

The park was a different one from where Yuki and Luka had their first conversation. While the other park was standard with slides, swings, and other playground equipment, this park was mostly flowers, benches, and mobile food vendors.

The biggest feature of the park was the large statue of a knight brandishing a sword at the center, face twisted in a war cry.

Smiling up at the statue, Yuki placed the bouquet near at the base and clapped her hands in prayer.

“Grandfather, protect me for I am probably going to do something stupid.”

* * *

Packing was easy enough. According to Takashiro, her room was already furnished and the most she would need were her clothes along with any other personal items or knick-knacks. Thanks to the efforts of the multiple people in the house, Yuki and Fiona only needed an afternoon to pack up what they needed.

Takashiro had a private jet, which was something that Yuki was not surprised to see. If the Giou clan had a grip on the economy, then there was a good chance that they had money to spare for instances like going overseas to pick up stray family members.

Fiona was used to flying, having done it before to come to the United States. She had settled into her seat easily enough, pulled put a music player, and began reading. Currently, she was relaxed as the jet continued its ascent to the necessary flying altitudes. Hewie was laying down at her feet, his service dog vest was off for the flight but in reach for when they touched down again.

Yuki had never been on a plane before, so she had to admit that she was a bit excited. Usually, she would take a bus or bum a ride off of Nico to wherever she needed to go if she wanted to go to someplace further than what she was comfortable walking to, so the airplane would be a new experience. Currently, she was gripping Luka’s hand and trying to relax, but looking out the window every so often and realizing where she was and the reasons behind it were causing her body to tense up.

Seeing Yuki in distress, Luka lightly squeezed her hand back. “It’s going to be okay. I’m right here.”

Yuki leaned over so that her head was resting on Luka’s arm, face turned away from the window. “I’ve never done this before, so I’m sorry for being nervous.”

Luka leaned over and pulled down the shade over the window. “There, you can’t see what’s going on now. That should help.”

Yuki relaxed a bit, the idea of not looking out the window calming her. As the silence between the two grew, Yuki asked a question she knew would have ended the conference the previous day. “I’m probably not going to return home, am I?”

“…Probably not. I know that it’s for a selfish reason, but we need you, Yuki.”

Yuki sobbed, not fighting the embrace from Luka. The Opast rested his head on hers, whispering so that only she could hear his words, “It’ll be okay. I’ll be right by your side the entire time. I promise, I will not betray you.”

Yuki nodded, burying herself more into Luka’s side.

 _I wish you were here, Dad. It probably wouldn’t seem as scary,_ Yuki bit her lip, shoulders shaking as she tried to stop her crying. _I don’t feel sad or lonely when I’m with this man, but I can’t stop. Nero, Kanata, Mom, the rest of my family, they won’t be by my side anymore._

In that moment, another thought hit the Light of God.

“My brother never came to see me off,” Yuki hiccupped.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a hidden mansion near the outskirts of Tokyo, two teenagers were sitting in the drawing room. The first teenager had short brown hair and was reading a book. Sitting in the chair next to him was a blond teenager playing on a handheld videogame system, scowling at the small screen every once in a while.

The two were brought out of their moment of peace when a new figure entered the room.

She was a petite girl with long black hair, dark eyes, and was dressed in a kimono. In her hand were two manila folders, each one bursting with paper. She bowed to the two teenagers in the room.

“Hotsuma-sama, Shuusei-sama; Tachibana-san asked me to tell you that Yuki-sama will be arriving in Tokyo in the next day or so and that you should get ready to meet her. I have also been asked to provide you with the following information about Yuki-sama and her sister by Takashiro-sama.”

The brunette nodded, “Thank you Aya.”

Aya left the folders on a small side table, bowed once again, and left the room.

As Aya left the room, Shusei stood up and walked over to the side table to pick up the files. He then handed one of the files, the one about Fiona, over to his blond companion. When he did not hear his companion move from his position, he looked over with a raised eyebrow.

“Hotsuma, are you going to get ready as well? We don’t know anything about Yuki or this apparent sister of hers.”

Hotsuma rolled his eyes as he saved his game, “I don’t see why I need to read over this crap, it really has nothing to do with me. Besides, who wants to read about the accolades of someone raised by a demon?”

Shuusei sighed as he placed Fiona’s file on the table in front of them and started looking over Yuki’s file, “If you bothered to read her file, then you would know that Yuki’s step-father was only half demon, and the son of Sparda. The step-father along with Yuki and a majority of their family were entangled in that incident last year concerning the tree that was draining the life from the planet.”

Hotsuma shivered, “Don’t remind me. I still get nightmares from having to help clean up those corpses and breaking down those husks into ash.”

Shusei gave a small hum of acknowledgment as he scanned Yuki’s file. The Tree Incident, as everyone called it, took forever to clean up and it took even longer to deliver remains to families, if there were any left. Shusei had to drop from the archery team to help reunite families with the belongings of their dead lost ones and was still having to help find those who went missing during the incident almost a full year later.

Looking over Yuki’s personal file, Shusei was a bit shocked about what he found.

**Name: Shikibe, Yuki E.**

**DOB: 21 April 2004**

**Age: 15**

**City: Capulet City**

**State: NV**

**Mother: Mizuki Shikibe; alive**

**Father: Dante Sparda (step-father); status unknown**

**Relatives of Importance: Sparda (step-grandfather, see file on “Legendary Dark Knight”), Vergil Sparda (step-uncle, see files on “Qliphoth Tree Incident” and “Red Grave City Incident”), Eva Sparda (step-grandmother, see file on “Umbra Witches”), Nero Sparda; first-cousin (see file on “Nero the Hero”).**

**Key Associates: Nero Sparda, Fiona Belli (step-sister, see file on “Belli Castle Incident”)**

**Education Level: Current High School Student, American Sophomore**

**Current Abilities:  
Expert Marksman (see page 16 for awards)  
Expert Demonologist  
Average Swordsman  
Master Martial Artist – Karate: Black Belt (see page 16 for awards)**

**Skills aking to a Level 6 Gymnast**

**Summoning - Subject is able to summon demons and weapons at will through the use of a grimoire-like pendant but is not a necromancer.**

**Polyglot – Capable of speaking/reading/writing fluently English, Japanese, Latin, and Enochian. Basic level of speaking/reading/writing of French and German.**

**Notes:**

**Yuki’s power as the Light of God has not yet awakened. Hopefully being forced to fight the Duras will awaken it soon. Until then, she has found other ways to serve as a healer and can erect barriers using objects.**

**Threat Level when reacting to danger is the same as an A-Class Opast. Proceed with _extreme caution_.**


	7. Old Faces

Chapter 7: Old Faces

“You know, this is the first time I’ve seen Luka asleep.”

“Really now?”

“Yup! This guy never sleeps, or at least not in front of us. Heck, he isn’t ever nice to us. He’s like one of those cats who hisses at his owners but is all lovey-dovey on guests and strangers!”

Touko and Fiona giggled as they pointed their phone cameras at Luka and Yuki, taking pictures of the couple as they slept leaning on each other. Yuki had cried herself to sleep a few hours beforehand and was able to calm down thanks to Luka, who eventually fell asleep as well, still holding Yuki close. The two were now entangled in one another, looking completely natural and still holding each other’s hands.

Touko covered her mouth as she looked over the photos she had taken, determining which ones to send to her fellow Zweilt Ria and the steward of the mansion, Tachibana. The steward would most likely get a kick out of the pictures since he enjoyed teasing Luka about his relationship with Yuki. Ria was one of the people who supported Luka joining their side in the last fight and asked for an update once they were able to find Yuki, Ria’s partner Sairi was another story.

Fiona, on the other hand, had already decided which pictures to send to specific members of her family, making sure that Nero would be the first one to receive a picture the moment she had a signal. Nero might have been Kyrie’s husband, but Yuki was his hunting partner; his cousin whom he worried about day and night since discovering her and assuming for the time they knew each other as his sister as well.

Speaking of Nero, Fiona could not help but wonder how long it had been since she and Yuki had left their family behind.

Checking her watch, Fiona was shocked to see that almost 5 hours had passed since the flight began. According to what Takashiro had told them on the ride to the airport, they would be landing in Hawaii after 6 hours to refuel the jet, have a 2-hour layover, switch pilots, and continue from Hawaii straight to Tokyo for another 10-hour flight.

Fiona groaned as she leaned back in her seat. She remembered her flight from England and how it took 14 hours for her and Trish to get to Nevada. Her flight had been direct so the fact that they were getting a 2-hour reprieve to stretch their legs and take care of anything else was something that most she and Hewie, mostly Hewie, were looking forward to taking advantage of the break while in Hawaii.

Fiona gave Yuki a sad look before getting up from her seat and covering both her sister and her seatmate with a blanket. She brushed some hair out of Yuki’s face, her fingers lingering for a bit before she pulled back her hand and returned to her seat.

Touko gave the alchemist a curious look, careful not to jostle the sleeping Tsukumo who was leaning on her. From his seat, Takashiro pretended to be reading over some files but was listening in.

“It’s strange to see her like this. For as long as I have known Yuki, it is rare for her to sleep this long after a battle with demons and not have a nightmare or have someone help her through an episode of sleep paralysis. The life Dante led and eventually passed onto Yuki is one full of hardship, and when the Qliphoth Tree appeared, everything seemed to just go downhill for her in the aftermath.” Fiona said after a moment of silence. “Maybe getting away from Capulet and focusing on something other than living up to Dante’s legacy will be good for her. I know that it did wonders for me when I lost my family.”

Both Touko and Fiona looked over as they heard Yuki shift in her sleep, the Light of God burying herself further into Luka’s hold and mumbling something intelligible.

“I wonder what she’s dreaming about,” Touko said as she looked over at her fellow reincarnate.

* * *

Wherever Yuki was in her dreamworld, she only knew that was laying on the floor, curled up in a ball, in a void of blackness in the middle of nowhere. Unlike her usual dreams about the dark, this one was peaceful. She felt warm and her body felt heavy whenever she tried to move it.

_I have to go back._

“Whazzat?”

_I have to go back._

“Go back where?”

_He’s waiting for me. Waiting for you._

“Who’s waiting for me?”

_Who, who you say? The one who is most important…_

Yuki groaned as she opened her eyes, only to find herself in a room that she had never seen before, laying in a bed.

Yuki wanted to scream and panic; the last thing she remembered, she was on a plane and cried herself to sleep. Now, she was in some unknown room on some random bed and deeply regretting every leaving the continental US.

She tried to speak, to call out to someone, but no noise left her mouth. Despite her situation, she felt strangely calm.

Looking around she caught a glimpse of Luka, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked over at her and gave her a tender smile that he seemed to reserve only for her.

“You’re awake.”

Yuki felt herself nod, “I’m sorry. I had a start because you weren’t next to me.”

 _Okay, that is definitely not my voice_ , Yuki thought. Her voice was a bit rough due to years of screaming during battle, getting punched in the throat, and occasionally getting her throat crushed or slashed during a battle with a particularly nasty demon of the week. The voice she heard was soft, serene, and put her at ease.

Out of the corner of her eye, Yuki spotted a mirror. Looking into it, she saw that her appearance was different.

Her hair was long and pooling around her in waves and had the luster and texture of hair that had never been dyed abnormal colors. She was wearing a dark purple nightgown with long sleeves that was rather tight around a bust that was definitely larger than what she remembered falling asleep with.

_Sweet Sheba, I’m almost as big as Lady!_

“Don’t worry.”

Yuki’s train of thought was broken by a pair of familiar hands cupping her face.

“I’m right here.”

_Luka, what are you-_

Everything faded to white as the two got closer.

* * *

Yuki groaned as she woke up, rubbing her sore and swollen eyes. As she started to become more coherent, she instantly remembered the dream and looked down at her chest, instantly breathing a sigh of relief.

_I’m still a B cup, thank goodness. Anything bigger and it would be a pain to fight with since they would get in the way. How do Aunt Cereza and Aunt Jeanne fight with those things?_

“Yuki, are you alright?”

Yuki almost jumped out of her seat when she realized that she was still cuddled up to someone.

* * *

Honolulu was humid, but they only had two hours to burn so it had to be done wisely.

Fiona had taken Hewie outside for a walk and for him to do his business once more before they boarded the jet again.

Touko and Tsukumo were milling in and out of the various gift shops, each with two large bags of souvenirs and treats in each hand.

Takashiro was sitting in a VIP lounge somewhere, most likely reading over some information on a tablet with his secretary Ibuki by his side.

Yuki was left alone with Luka. Again. In the aftermath of what was most likely a rather steamy dream. There was no way that she could look the man in the eye again for the rest of the trip.

Unfortunately, Luka was staying close, loosely holding her hand so she would not get swept away in the crowds of people walking to and fro, getting some pre-flight shopping done or running to their gates to catch their flights.

Everyone once in a while, Yuki caught a man or woman stealing a quick glance at her and Luka, shooting a look at Yuki that seemed to be in bewilderment as to why someone as attractive as Luka was with someone as plain as Yuki. Occasionally, she heard a whisper from someone commenting on how she looked too young to be with the man next to her, sneering something about how she must have been a fast one. Each time Luka caught one of the stares or heard one of the whispers, he would return it with a glare of his own and hold Yuki’s hand tighter.

 _Back off,_ the glare seemed to say. _I’m with her. Stay back if you know what’s good for you, or else._

“That’s quite the glare there. I understand that this is a popular honeymoon spot, but I never expected to find you here.”

Yuki gripped Luka’s hand almost as tightly as he had been gripping hers as she turned to the source of the voice. Approaching her, tall, beautiful, and ready for some fun in the sun, were Cereza and Jeanne.

Yuki swallowed and gave a shaky smile as Jeanne got closer, Cereza not far behind.

“Aunties, hi! How are you doing?”

* * *

Luka and Yuki let Jeanne and Cereza lead them to one of the cheaper food options near the airport, IHOP. Luka raised an eyebrow at the place, but Yuki looked happier than when she had left Nevada. According to her, IHOP was a chain of restaurants that primarily served breakfast foods all day, but also served foods that were meant for other meals.

“The only time Dad would bring me to an IHOP instead of Fredi’s was when I did well on a school report.” Yuki explained. “It’s a bit pricier than the local diner since it’s a part of a chain, the only one near us was in the next town over, and my family was on a budget for the most part, but I have some good memories with my Dad at this place. Well, not this one specifically, but you get the idea.”

The four were led to a booth with Yuki and Luka sitting on one side while Jeanne and Cereza sat on the other. They ordered food and drinks and waited.

After some awkward silence and staring as their food arrived, Cereza spoke up, “It’s good to see you again, little one. I can sense that you’ve started using your demonic familiars again.”

Yuki perked up, “Oh yes! It took a while, but Rodin sat me down for a heart to heart and I decided to start using them again. They take a lot of energy to summon since I’m out of practice and are only to be used in emergencies, but it’s better than nothing I suppose.”

“I see that you’re decided to take one your family’s legacy seriously, at least Eva’s part at least,” Jeanne commented.

“Yeah well, I needed someone to look up to with all the bullcrap demon hunting and the occasional angel slaying throws my way.”

“You know, for someone who wears my color as proof of my tutelage, you’re quite the disrespectful little brat.”

“I wear red because of it’s the signature color of my father and you know it, Auntie.”

Cereza snorted, “She’s got you there Jeanne.”

Jeanne ignored her friend. “When your little Tokyo getaway is all said and done, we should really mark this as your redamancy destination.”

Luka watched as Yuki’s face flushed, but the aura around her was one of humiliation and shame.

“I’m not going through a Stygian Ceremony, Aunt Jeanne. Even with Dad gone, I’m still going to abide by his wishes.” Yuki said as she stabbed at the last bit of her short stack a little harder than she should have, causing her unused cutlery to shake a bit.

Luka gave Yuki a confused look but did not pry. Something was telling him that whatever an ‘Stygian Ceremony’ was, it was clearly a sore spot for Yuki.

Jeanne’s lip twitched before she put some money on the table for their meals, “We’ll see about that, _Schatz_.”

Yuki narrowed her eyes as the head of the Umbra Witches sauntered off, Cereza also getting out of the booth and motioning them to follow. “C’mon, Cheshire is waiting outside.”

As Luka watched the two mystery women get in a car driven by a man wearing a scarf, he felt the urge to keep Yuki close. Ever since he had met with her again, the urge had been there, but for some reason it grew stronger whenever Luka thought of the look in Jeanne’s eyes as she looked him over. It was almost like he was judging her like the people in the airport had judged Yuki: he was not good enough for her.

* * *

Fiona winced at the look in Yuki’s eye when she and Luka returned with only 10 minutes to spare.

“What happened to you two?”

“Auntie Cereza and Auntie Jeanne. They got here today for a little getaway since school let early in Germany for Jeanne. She brought _that_ up again.”

Fiona winced in understanding, for once thankful of the Azoth in her body disqualifying her from the life of a Lumen Sage or Umbra Witch.

A thought struck Fiona in that moment. Last she checked Jeanne and Cereza were in Vigrid, training new Umbra Witch potentials who could utilize traditional techniques. Why would the two drop everything and just suddenly appear in Hawaii?

* * *

Resting on a balcony lounge chair, Jeanne looked up at the sky and smiled.

Jeanne chuckled, “Yuki was such a sweet child growing up, until Dante’s transfused blood started kicking in. She still puts the needs of others before her own; has a large heart and empathy to match. Too bad she’s just so stubborn.”

Cereza did not look convinced, “Jeanne, she has tried to become like us and failed. Don’t you remember how crushed she was during her Stygian Debut?”

Jeanne frowned and nodded. Yuki had so desperately wanted to find a way to help protect her family, so who was Jeanne to turn away such a promising young witchling? Ever since the defeat of Loki, more and more demons and angels had started appearing as a result of people losing fate in the Gods they once believed in along with an increase of violence. The multiple deaths due to the events put into motion by Vergil, starting all the way back with Temen-Ni-Gru and ending with the Qliphoth, only served to cause enough deaths that the forces of Paradiso and Inferno were now teeming with foot soldiers. To help combat this new problem, the Umbra Witches and Lumen Sages were being revived thanks to the efforts of the people of Vigrid who had been practicing in secret since the Witch Hunts but were only able to make contracts in the past two decades thanks to the death of Baldur. Both sides had barely a fraction of the original Witches and Sages from when Jeanne and Cereza were young, but they helped protect humanity nonetheless and were a valuable asset during the Qliphoth’s rampage the previous year.

The Leader of the new Umbra Witches remembered the crushed look on her goddaughter’s face when none of the demons in Inferno answered her summons to start an Umbran contract. Even her own matron, Madama Styx, refused to make a contract with the fledging witch. In the aftermath, Dante all but forbade Jeanne or Cereza from forcing Yuki into the life of an Umbra Witch when all of their efforts failed, and the Devil Hunter instead reached out to Rodin for help. Jeanne remembered how humiliated Yuki had been as Dante escorted her out of the Umbra Sanctum, the whispers and sneers of her fellow trainees causing many tears to be shed that night.

That was two years ago. Now, Jeanne had an idea of why Yuki could not make a contract with a demon from Inferno: Yuki already had an active contract tied to her soul. It was half-baked as far as contracts went concerning humans and demons. It was mostly a trading of true names and while power, it was not the same as trading a soul. Rodin had informed Cereza and Jeanne about Yuki’s visit and what she learned about the Giou. If Yuki was truly to survive the war, she would have to make a full-fledged demonic contact soon.

Anything less would kill her in the next few years if what she heard from Rodin was true about the Giou and the source of their powers. The demon boy following Yuki around was too soft and not a good enough match for her, if Jeanne was being honest. Her goddaughter would see the light, reject her current contract, and make a new one.

“She can hate us for what we may do in the future, Cereza, but she will thank us once she sees the bigger picture. I will not lose any more family nor will I let our traditions die out, especially when the world needs us the most.”


	8. New Faces

Chapter 8: New Faces

Everyone except for Takashiro, Ibuki, and Luka groaned as they made their way to the car that would take them from the airport into the city. The jet lag when they landed in Hawaii the day before was rough, but the jet lag in Tokyo was worse. The fact that it was almost 5:30 in the morning was just the metaphorical cherry on top for the teenagers in the group who knew deep down that their sleep schedules were now messed up for the next week or so.

“How can they look so composed?? I feel like I’m dying,” Tsukumo muttered as he strapped his seat belt. For once, he did not bother trying to ward away his fatigue with sweets.

“They’re used to this type of thing, I think. Besides, they’re not recovering from multiple days of demon hunting and Duras extermination,” Touko griped as she leaned on her brother.

“Speak for yourself,” Fiona muttered as she attempted to coax Hewie into the car. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Luka grabbed Hewie by the scruff of his neck and practically threw him in.

“Be careful with him!”

“Luka!”

“Don’t worry about the dog. He’s been through worse,” Yuki explained as she settled in next to her sister.

Fiona glared at the younger girl, “He’s still old! Who knows what could happen to him after all that he’s been through?”

“He’s still healthy as when you first brought him with you. I can call at least five vets to back up that claim.”

* * *

Yuki and Fiona felt like crying.

While Touko and Tsukumo got to go home and rest, the two of them were asked to be dropped off at the police station along with Luka, Takashiro, and Ibuki. According to Takashiro, two of the Zweilt were at the station and they were going there for Yuki to meet them and to get Fiona registered as a member of World’s End, the anti-demon taskforce of Japan that was (thankfully) not under the direct control of the Diet.

Touko took it upon herself to explain a bit more about the other two housemates. “Shuusei and Hostuma are a bit cold but they care. Shuusei is the calm one while Hotsuma is the wild one with a foul mouth. Don’t take anything to heart, okay?”

Yuki and Fiona nodded at Touko, the older of the two sisters already feeling a headache coming on as the car drove Touko and Tsukumo away.

“I get the feeling that meeting this ‘Hotsuma’ is going to be like meeting Nero all over again.”

Yuki laughed, “Oh come on! Nero wasn’t that bad when we first met him!”

“Yes, well you got a chance to meet him under better circumstances than me.”

“…Yeah, you got me there. Still, he was excited to meet you.”

Fiona sighed and did not bother egging on her sister. Instead, she followed Takashiro into the police station, signaling Hewie to follow her.

Shooting a rather sad look at Fiona’s back, Yuki jogged after her sister.

* * *

Yuki was led to what looked like a waiting room as Fiona was escorted by Ibuki to another room.

“Yuki, I would like for you to stay here. I need to have a word with Zess about some things before we go home. It’ll just be for a moment, I promise.”

Yuki nodded and took a seat on a bench while everyone else walked down a hallway. As soon as they were out of earshot, she signed and rested her chin in her hands, elbows braced on her knees.

_Dear Dad in Hell,_

_Do you ever get the feeling that people know more about you than you know about yourself and are using that unknown info to use you like a pawn? Asking for a friend._

Yuki stood up and stretched, not liking the idea of sitting down for a long time given her 16-hour flight she still had to sleep off later and decided to see if she could find a vending machine that had something with caffeine in it. She heard that the vending machines in Japan sold hot coffee, so hopefully that would be enough to shake off her post-flight lethargy.

As she looked around, something out the window caught her eye. Down in front of the police station, a man looked like he was dragging away a little girl. While this would raise some eyebrows and cause some people to whisper and point, the little girl caused Yuki’s heart to almost stop.

She was young, probably elementary school age. She had on a white long-sleeved shirt under a pink dress. Her brown hair was done up in pigtails with cute red baubles hanging from the hair ties. Looking up, the little girl made eye contact with Yuki.

The huntress recognized this girl. Her name was Maria, and she had been taken away by her mother and grandmother when her older sister Miata had disappeared the year before.

Yuki wasted no time running down the stairs to the first floor, jumping over the last four and running outside.

* * *

Maria struggled against the man as he tried to drag her away. “Lemme go! I want to go home!”

The man kept trying to pull Maria away, a fake smile on his face, “Now, now, be a good girl and-“

His next words were cut off by Yuki uppercutting his chin and sending him flying backwards.

“Maria, are you okay?”

Maria sniffled before looking up and smiling at her savior as she recognized her. “Yuki! You came!”

Yuki smiled and knelt down so she and Maria would be at eye level with one another. She ruffled the little girl’s hair in the same manner Miata used to do. “Of course I did. There’s no way I was going to let that creep take you away!”

Maria’s smile then fell, her expression becoming sad. She twisted the hem of her dress as she muttered, “Why did you let Mommy take me? I don’t like it here! Everyone keeps whispering about me and making fun of me. I want to go home to Daddy and Miata.”

Yuki winced at the mention of her late friend. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know your mother would take you overseas. Your father is still holding out hope, so maybe we can try and get you back state-side.”

Before Maria could say anything else, Yuki heard a groaning sound from behind her. Turning around, she was quick enough to gran the man’s wrists before he could strangle her.

 _What the hell? This guy is stronger than earlier!_ Yuki thought. _I can think about that later, first priority is that I need to keep Maria safe!_

**“Dark One. Burn.”**

Yuki let go of the man as soon as he spontaneously combusted into flame, shrieking as he crumbled into dust.

Maria screamed and clutched Yuki’s pant leg, the older girl ready to fight whatever else was about to pop out.

“Yo, asshole.”

Yuki looked up to see a blond man standing on a tree branch. He was wearing jeans, a black shirt, and a red jacket over it. He also had a nasty scowl over his face.

“You’re Shikibe Yuki, right?”

Yuki raised an eyebrow. “I am, but who are you to ask for my name?”

The scowl deepened as the blond man on the tree jumped down. “Who am I? Who am I? I’m the guy who saved your dumb ass from getting killed!”

“I’ve only been in this country for like four hours! You can’t expect me to know who you are, Mister I-think-I’ll-look-cool-if-I-stand-in-a-tree-like-a-superhero! If you were there the entire time, why did you wait until the last minute to help me?”

“You ungrateful bitch! Did nobody tell ya about how Duras’re after ya?! Don’t be such a pain in the ass!”

 _Let’s see vulgar language, not social whatsoeve_ r… Yuki tilted her head as the boy in front of her continued ranting before a light bulb went off in her head, “You must be Hotsuma!”

Hotsuma stopped his ranting to give Yuki a suspicious look. “How do you know my name?”

Yuki smiled brightly, “Oh that? Touko told me I would be meeting two other Zweilt today. She said that the leveled headed and polite one was Shuusei while his partner Hotsuma was a foul-mouthed hothead.”

 _Touko, just wait until I get home_ , Hotsuma seethed internally. “Yeah well, don’t try and get all friendly! I ain’t interested in being friends with you!”

Yuki rolled her eyes before looking over at the pile of ash that used to be her attacker. “So that guy, he was a Duras, wasn’t he? I didn’t even feel a demonic presence from him.”

Hotsuma looked over at the remains and poked around them with his foot. As he pushed aside the ash and dirt, he came across something shiny.

“Is that a… microchip?”

“Oh crap, we got company!”

Hotsuma looked up to see Yuki was holding Maria with one arm with the other was out and pointing to something behind him. Turning around, Hotsuma watched as exact replicas of the man he had just destroyed were coming out from around corners and rising up from the ground.

“Get to the park!”

Hotsuma and Yuki ran to the more wooded area nearby, Maria in tow.

* * *

Takashiro led Luka to his office, taking a seat at his desk while Luka remained standing.

“So Zess, no, I guess I should call you ‘Luka’ now, right?”

“Just get to the point, Takashiro. What is it you want?”

Takashiro merely smiled up at Luka, “No need to be so hostile. I just wanted to know if you were still interested in Yuki. Compared to the Yuki from before, she is a completely different person. Then again, you’re still willing to work with us.”

Luka frowned at Takashiro. “Yuki is Yuki. I know they have the same soul. My feelings have not changed.”

Takashiro raised an eyebrow, smile still in place as if mocking the one in front of him. “And what feelings would that be?”

Luka glared at the semi-immortal man. “I will protect Yuki. That is my top priority. My allegiance is to her, not you or your cause. I don’t trust you, especially with Yuki as she is now.”

Takashiro leaned back, his face now serious. “Despite your feelings, even you can sense that something is off with her. Ever since she met up with those two ‘Aunts’ of hers in Hawaii, I’ve had multiple questions about what exactly Yuki’s agenda is for this war. She was rather adamant about not coming but seemed to change her mind and was quite willing to come with us, but I can tell that neither she nor Fiona are open to sharing any knowledge with us.”

Luka turned to leave, “Yuki and Fiona are willing to work with us and share whatever they feel will help us and nothing more. There is such a thing as getting too greedy, Takashiro.”

Takashiro waited until the door was shut before picking up his phone and dialing a familiar number. The person on the other end picked up after the first ring. Another beep signaled that the call had been put on speaker phone.

_“Yes, Takashiro-sama?”_

“I have a mission for you two. I want you to spy on Yuki and Fiona once they move into Twilight Mansion. Do not let them be alone with each other and do not let Yuki be alone with our Duras friend. Do not let them know any more than what was rehearsed. That is an order.”

_“…Understood. We will abide by your wishes, Takashiro-sama.”_

As Takashiro hung up the phone, Luka came storming in the office once again.

“Yuki’s gone!”

* * *

**_“Dark Ones, Fiends of the Blackest Pits, Burn in the Flame of Hell!”_ **

“CNOQUODI!”

Numerous Duras were burned away by the flames Hotsuma was conjuring with his voice while others were burned by the familiars Yuki summoned. Unlike the single demon she had summoned last time, Yuki decided to instead summon three Basilisks to fight off the hoards of demons.

Maria whimpered as the battle raged around her, but something deep inside of her felt calm. She did not know if it was because he older sister’s best friend was with her or that there was a chance she could go home, but something inside seemed to soothe her.

“Dammit! There’s too many of them!”

Yuki summoned another familiar, Shadow, to help their ally fight. “I’m at my limit too! Even if I recall these guys to summon something bigger, that will draw too much attention and cause civilians to panic!”

Both trains of thought were cut off by a giant ball of lightning clearing the battlefield. As the smoke cleared, one lone figure approached them.

Yuki recalled her familiars and sighed in relief. “Luka!”

Luka walked up to Yuki and cupped her cheek. “Yuki, are you hurt?”

Yuki smiled, “I’m fine. Just a bit shaken up but I’m fine.”

Maria looked up at Luka and blushed, once again grabbing Yuki’s pant leg and trying to hide behind her. “Yuki, is he your special someone?”

Yuki immediately flushed bright red. “M-Maria!”

“I really don’t think that’s a healthy color. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“It’s about time you showed up!”

Yuki jumped back in surprise as Hotsuma came stomping up to them.

The blond Zweilt pointed at Yuki. “You coulda tried droppin’ by a bit sooner! It’s your job to protect her, ain’t it? If you can’t, then don’t let the uber newbie just toddle off-”

“Excuse me?!”

“Put a freakin’ leash on her!”

“I do not consent to your kinks, buddy!”

Hotsuma froze at Yuki’s latest statement and gave her a look of horror. “What the absolute fuck are you talking about!?”

“You heard me! And uber newbie!? I’ll have you know that I’ve been fighting demons from the Eight Rings for years _and_ I fought against the Qliphoth, thank you very much!”

Hotsuma flinched back at Yuki’s statement. He had known that Yuki’s adoptive family was deeply involved in the Qliphoth Incident thanks to skimming some files, but he did not know that she fought on the front lines. Shuusei was going to have the biggest ‘I told you so’ yet ready for him! “Y-Yea, well, that means nothing if you can’t even use your powers!”

“Did you not see the giant shadow panther and fire gun dogs I summoned? Can you do that?”

Maria looked around before something caught her eye. Walking over, she picked it up and scuttled back over to Yuki. “I found this.”

Luka gingerly took the object from Maria, quietly thanking the girl. It was a microchip similar to the one Hotsuma had seen earlier. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the item. “Take a look at this.”

Both Hotsuma and Yuki looked at the chip in Luka’s hand. “This chip… the things you fought were just clay puppets. They weren’t Duras.”

“No way…”

“The hell?!”

“This is Infernus technology. Even a Niedatrechy that can’t command demonic beasts can command puppets by burying one of these into clay.”

Yuki looked at the chip in worry, “To think that the inner most circle is capable of technology like this… then that must mean-”

“Yes, the Duras is still around.”

As if on cue, an army of clay puppets started crawling out of the ground.


	9. Ave Maria

Chapter 9: Ave Maria

Yuki heard Hotsuma hiss in frustration as the clay puppets started shambling their way. The blond turned to Yuki and pointed towards the trees. “Get away from us and take cover in the trees. We’ll handle this.”

Yuki nodded and picked up Maria, making a run for the trees.

“Looks like I’m going to have to guard your back,” Hotsuma muttered.

Luka rolled his eyes as his hands crackled with magic, “Don’t be stupid. I’m the one doing the protecting.

“What did you say, you brat?!”

“Brat? I have literal centuries on you.”

Hotsuma stretched out his hand, causing a ring on his hands to shine. In a flash, a silver and red scimitar appeared in front of him. “Master Stroke!”

“I can sense the Duras’ aura, but it blends in with the others. I can’t tell where it’s coming from.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! We won’t get anywhere destroying them one by one!”

“I know, that’s why I’ll take them out in one blow. You buy some time.”

Hotsuma tried to protest, but Luka ignored him and began chanting, a purple spell array already forming under him. With a look of disgust, the blond turned back towards the slowly growing army and charged, flame shooting off of his blade as he swung it.

* * *

Yuki relaxed somewhat from her spot behind the bushes with Maria, the younger of the two strangely quiet. Given everything that was going on, the older of the two chalked it up to the little girl being in shock or overloaded with what was happening.

Yuki gave the young girl a smile and held out her hand, “Maria, it’ll be okay. Just stay close to me, okay?”

Maria nodded before reaching out to Yuki’s hand, the older girl spotting something on her palm. Quickly, Yuki grabbed Maria’s wrist and turned over the girl’s hand to see what was on it.

Maria had the same mark on her as Uzuki did during his possession.

Yuki glared Maria, or rather the thing inside Maria, in the eye and hissed out venomously, “ZODONURENUSAGI OI CONGAMPHLGH Q BARINU.”

The Duras inhabiting Maria’s body shot out screaming.

* * *

Hotsuma and Luka turned towards the source of the scream. There on the ground was a pale skinned Duras wearing a black dress with hot pink hair tied in twin tails.

The Duras glared at Yuki, face twisted in a snarl, “How dare you use Enchoian on me?”

Yuki stood up, the unconscious Maria in one arm and her free hand resting on her pendant.

“There’s plenty more where that came from.”

The Duras screamed and charged at Yuki, “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you and be hailed as a-”

“ALCRETE!”

The Duras stumbled as a sudden burst of heat came from behind her. Turning around, she screamed as a dragon made of fire lowered its head and consumed her in a single swallow before dissipating in a burst of flames.

Yuki sighed as Ifrit returned to the pendant, the fire demon roaring with joy over being able to destroy something after so long. Turning back to Luka and Hotsuma, she smiled as the clay puppets started to fall apart. “Well, that takes care of that!”

“Okay, what the hell was that thing?!”

Yuki watched as Hotsuma made a beeline for her, Luka slowly following him with a complicated look on his face.

Yuki raised an eyebrow, “What was what?”

“You know what I’m talkin’ about! The giant dragon!” Hotsuma yelled as he started to point at the amulet. “Ya summoned a giant dragon made of fire out of nowhere! When the hell were you goin’ ta tell us you were a necromancer?!”

Yuki looked insulted, “Necromancer? Excuse me? I’m an Umbra Witch apprentice! My family hunted down demons and trapped them in my amulet so I can summon them in battle! Sure, Ifrit and a few others were gifts but-”

“Like I said: you’re a _necromancer_!”

“Umbra. Witch. I was trained by two of them, so I think I know what my occupation is, and raising the dead is not part of it!”

The two stopped their bickering as they heard someone start clapping. Turning around, the group saw Takashiro approaching accompanied by a few men in suits and a brunette teenager, who immediately went to Hotsuma’s side and taking his arm into his hand.

“Hotsuma, your arm is bleeding. It’s unusual since you were only up against a low-level Duras.”

Hotsuma’s eye twitched as he motioned to Yuki and Luka, “Yeah well, I was worked hard by a witch and her demon lackey.”

“Well then, I guess I should thank you for looking after Hotsuma,” the brunette said tersely.

“…Not really,” Luka replied.

“Polite and quiet, you must be Shuusei,” Yuki said.

Shuusei gave Yuki a glance before nodding, “Yes, that is my name. I take it that you’re Yuki?”

The huntress smiled, “Yup, that’s me! Yuki Shikibe! Or rather, Shikibe Yuki since we’re in Japan now. Man, that’s going to take a while to get used to…”

Luka rested a hand on her head, easily stopping her train of thought.

 _It’s almost like she has an off button_ , Hotsuma and Shuusei thought simultaneously as they watched Yuki and Luka’s interact with one another. As soon as Yuki had stopped talking, she had looked to Luka as if asking for permission to do something. She smiled after getting a nod of approval from the demon.

Reaching into her pocket, Yuki produced a few cellophane wrapped lollipops and held them out towards Hotsuma. “I can’t really use my powers just yet, but this will do for now. Green one will heal you, purple restores spiritual energy, red restores stamina, and yellow erects a temporary barrier. They’ll help you in the long run.”

Hotsuma stared at the lollipops before slapping Yuki’s hand away, “Do I look like Tsukumo to you?”

Yuki fumbled with the lollipops a bit and made sure that none of them fell onto the ground as Luka glared at Hotsuma.

Shuusei sighed and gently took the lollipops from Yuki, a strained smile on his face. “Thank you. I’ll make sure he eats _all_ of them.”

Yuki stared at Shuusei for a few seconds before responding. “Thanks. By the way, you should get something to eat too. Your aura is extremely low, so don’t push yourself too much, okay?”

Shuusei hesitated a bit before thanking Yuki and going back to his partner.

Takashiro smiled as he approached Yuki. “I apologize for the first impressions starting off on the wrong foot, but as you could tell those two were Zweilt. The blond one is Renjou Hotsuma, he has the ‘Voice of God’ aka ‘One who Scorches’ for his ability. His partner is Usui Shuusei, he has the ‘Eyes of God’ aka ‘One who Sees Through All’ for his power.”

With a wave of his hand, Takashiro appeared to change the surroundings. All the scorch marks and signs of battle disappeared and left the park as clean and pristine as it had originally been.

“Okay, how did you do that?”

Takashiro laughed at Yuki’s look of disbelief. “Yes well, before demons became a common topic thanks to the Qliphoth, our clan would set up barriers before a fight and create a small pocket dimension to fight in and keep civilians safe. Normal humans would subconsciously avoid the space when the barrier was up and not notice that a battle had taken place. It still comes in handy since it reduces the damage fees we have to pay and-are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, I’m just… thinking about all the money we could have saved in damage fees alone if I remembered how to put up this barrier back home.” Yuki at this point looked misty eyed. “Dad wasn’t exactly the most… careful fighter when it came to property damage. Devil May Cry had to lobby to Morrison multiple times about raising the property damage insurance for jobs that tended to get a little more… rock and roll than a usual job.”

“I-I see.” Takashiro almost balked at how depressive Yuki’s face became as she started muttering about property damage and debts her father had accrued before he disappeared. Looking over at Maria, he held out his hand and gave the child a small smile, “Come now, let’s get you home.”

Maria whimpered and took a few steps back, “No…”

“Young lady-”

“No! I want to stay with Yuki!”

Maria then turned and ran straight to her late sister’s friend, who snapped out of her depressive episode and caught the little girl. In that moment, a series of memories not her own flashed before Yuki’s eyes.

_A woman she recognized as Miata and Maria’s mother taking Maria away after a fight with her husband._

_Maria and her mother stay at various houses with friends of her mother’s, never in one place for too long._

_Maria crying as she boarded a plane with her mother with nothing but a small duffle bag._

_Maria’s mother arguing with a man._

_Maria approaching her mother, only to have her mother yell at her and slap her._

“Mommmy hates me. I’m a bad girl,” Maria sobbed. “That’s why she… I’m bad-”

Yuki hugged Maria, doing her best to calm the young girl down. “Maria, you’re not a bad girl. You did nothing wrong.”

Maria wailed as she buried her face into Yuki’s shirt. “I want my Daddy! I want Miata! I wanna go home!”

 _I want my Dad and I want to go home too_ , Yuki thought as she and Luka followed Takashiro back to the police station.

* * *

Takashiro escorted Luka and Yuki, the latter holding a sleeping Maria, into a large office with another agent and Fiona waiting for them. He motioned for the two to take a seat in the armchairs in front of the desk.

Yuki sat with a sleeping Maria in her lap as an Takashiro typed some information onto a laptop and rambled on the phone about returning Maria to her father. While there were laws that would force Maria’s mother to give her back to her father and others that would penalize the country for holding keeping the child in question, such laws had grown lax in the past year with multiple families moving to other countries in order to escape areas of high demonic activity, resulting in many cases to be swept under the rug.

“Rest assured, we will make sure Miss Maria is returned to the United States and put in her father’s care. We are also working on making sure that her mother is arrested for the international kidnapping of her child, among other crimes.”

“Thank you. Her father has already lost one daughter, so getting his surviving one back will mean a great deal to him.”

Two agents walked into the room, followed by Hotsuma and Shuusei. In Shuusei’s hand was a dark green book that had almost a metallic sheen to it.

Takashiro looked up from what he was doing and gestured the men over to Yuki. As they got closer to the desk, Yuki could see that one of them holding a duffel bag.

The agent not holding the pink duffel bag that obviously belong to Maria bowed to Yuki before turning to the man behind the desk. “Usui-dono was able to get us the location of Miss Maria’s household. Her mother, grandmother, and stepfather have been apprehended and handed over to the proper authorities. We have received word from the American Consulate that they will take over the return of Miss Maria to her father. There are American agents waiting outside of the station right now to take Miss Maria with them.”

“That was quick,” Fiona commented.

“We have agents all around the city working alongside the police just in case there is a demon attack. We just happened to have an agent-office team near Miss Maria’s home. She left behind her purse when you all ran to the park, so we started investigating as soon as we found that she had an ID for an American primary school in her coin purse.”

“And her father?” Yuki asked. Miata’s father had turned to the bottle after his daughters disappeared and took every chance he had to slander Yuki over Miata’s disappearance until the police had closed Miata’s case. He was in rehab, last Yuki heard prior to her departure, so having Maria home would push him to try and be the man he used to be, or at least close to it.

Takashiro turned back to Yuki, “We were able to reach him despite the time difference. He is coming personally to Japan to pick his daughter up and started preparing to be on the first flight to Tokyo the moment we gave him the news. We have since informed him that we will take care of all travel details.”

Yuki nodded and hesitantly handed Maria to the agent, who was waiting with open arms. “Please take care of her. She’s all that’s left of my best friend.”

The agent nodded as he adjusted Maria in his arms. Giving a slight bow to Yuki, he softly thanked her for her help and left the room with the agent holding the duffel bag.

“Well, we know what’s going to be on the news all this week,” Fiona mused as she pet Hewie’s head.

Shuusei handed Takashiro the book he was holding.

“Takashiro-sama, the agents on scene found this in Maria-chan’s home. We have a feeling that this was in possession of her mother since we found it in the master bedroom and not the little girl’s bedroom.”

“Thank you, Shuusei. I will have this taken to the vault as soon as possible.”

“What is that thing?” Yuki asked as Takashiro began wrapping the book in a large cloth.

Hotsuma rolled his eyes at Yuki. “It’s a grimoire, genius. Maria’s bitch of a mom probably used it to make a contract with a demon and keep her under the radar when she ran for it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Maria came into contact with that Duras because she was messing with Mommy’s stuff.”

“In general, Duras don’t come to the moral plane under they’re summoned. However, anyone in possession of a grimoire can summon them, but a bit of spiritual power is required. I have no doubt that being a supernatural hotspot, Capulet City is full of people with spiritual power, no matter how small.

“The world is dotted with grimoires. They are drawn to the darkness in human hearts, passing from hand to hand. Those who acquire grimoires and possessed by demons and attack humans become our enemies.” Hotsuma stated coldly. “That brat is no exception.”

Yuki glared at Hotsuma as she shot from her seat, “I swear that if you even think about laying a hand on Maria after everything she went through-”

“We just need to make sure she stays away from anything that could be used to summon anything else from Infernus. She was saved, thanks to you, but being possessed by a Duras is not something to take lightly.” Takashiro said as he attempted to placate the angry teenager.

“Please explain.”

“It is difficult to distinguish normal humans from Duras possessed humans since the only difference between the two is a blood seal. However, the seal’s placement on the body isn’t necessarily in a place that it would show. You were lucky that the last two Duras you encountered weren’t smart enough to put the seal someplace that could be hidden by clothing, but you’re better off thinking that the two are indistinguishable,” Shuusei said softly. “This is why you should be suspicious of people when you see them. Well, more like it’s a better idea if you didn’t approach strangers at all.”

“Looks like we’re gonna try to make a new PSA about Stranger Danger,” Hotsuma huffed.

Fiona groaned and leaned her head back so that it hit the wall next to the window, “It’s the Peter Pan Incident all over again.”

Yuki just about choked, “I never thought we would have to deal with something like _that_ again.”

“Care to explain to present company?” Takashiro asked dryly.

Yuki waited as Fiona pushed herself off the wall and walked over, Hewie following close behind. Once the older of the two was close enough, Yuki stepped back and let Fiona take her seat.

“There is an in our city that orphanage specializes in taking in kids who were considered the overflow from the foster care system, so mostly children who were abandoned and abused by their parents. When you’re a kid who has been hurt by the adults who are supposed to love and care for you, you are willing to do anything or go anywhere with someone offering a better life,” Fiona explained. “You know the story of Peter Pan, right? Boy doesn’t want to grow up and he takes like-minded kids to a place called Neverland where they can play forever? Well, one demon decided to target an orphanage where a friend of ours lived and started taking kids, keeping them in a fantasy world while he drained them of their life force. He had a bit of a hold on them too, claiming that Dante was Captain Hook when he came to rescue the kids and they believed him with no doubts because he used magic to brainwash most of them.”

“Maria’s older sister was one of my best friends. She went missing last year and shortly after, Maria’s mother and grandmother took her from her own father,” Yuki added. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she thought the Duras possessing her was an imaginary friend who promised to take her back home.”

Yuki watched as Takashiro and Fiona started talking more about a subject that she just tuned out, Maria’s situtation still on her mind. _Being in a strange place and not trusting anyone since you can’t trust your own family, it’s a whole new feeling of loneliness. The most painful is being “all alone” and knowing that no one is truly seeing me. It’s scary and sad…_

The room seemed to spin a bit as Yuki continued down her train of thought. _I don’t want to be alone! Not again! No!_

“Yuki!”

“Are you okay?”

Yuki groaned and massaged her forehead, trying to alleviate some pressure as she leaned on Fiona’s chair. “Sorry, looks like jetlag finally caught up to me.”

Luka gave her a look of concern before lifting her into his arms, which caused the witchling to squeak in surprise.

“I’m taking her to our original destination. If you wish to continue your meeting, you can leave us out of it.”

Without letting the others answer, Luka turned and left the room, a red-faced Yuki cradling her head in her hands as she tried to calm herself down.

**Author's Note:**

> Here is chapter 1 of this crossover, so I hope you all enjoyed it! I noticed that Yuki was a bit more assertive in the first few chapters of the manga before he became a pushover after awakening his powers as Light of God, so I wanted to keep that. Plus, you know that Dante's influence would have an effect on anyone.
> 
> Shout-out to the person updating the TVTropes page for Uraboku. It's nice to know that people still like the series despite it ending on a cliffhanger.
> 
> Also, I have made a secondary tumblr. Come talk to me on chibifoxwrites.tumblr.com when you get the chance!


End file.
